For the third consecutive year, the University of Southern Indiana was well-represented at The Econ Games—a national competition including over 100 students from 12 universities across the nation.
A team of students from the Romain College of Business competed at the two-day Econ Games 2023, held at the University of Kentucky. The team was composed of five students—Hayden Dunigan, Audrey Graber, Gracie Money, Elijah Toavs and Jacob Winterheimer—and led by faculty advisor Dr. Cathy Carey, Professor of Economics.
While the team was unable to defend their overall championship title, that didn’t stop this group from leaving the trip with smiles on their faces. From valuable lessons learned in the competition to friendships gained, there were plenty of positive takeaways for the team.
“Our USI team represented us well. They were professional throughout the time, they produced a great product and they presented well. Most of all, they had a great experience and developed lasting friendships,” said Carey. “They make a great team.”
“The Econ Games was a fun, challenging and humbling event,” said Gracie Money. “I learned about what my strong suits and weak points are regarding data analytics, presenting and networking. My teammates and I shared many laughs, and we have since become friends.”
The students had the opportunity to work with MiddleGroundCapital, a private equity firm, who was the sponsor of this year’s event. The team presented their findings for the business prompt they were provided and spent hours going through data in prep for their presentation with the firm.
“I believe participating in The Econ Games provided me with a valuable opportunity to apply the largely theoretical knowledge learned to an actual real-world business setting that made the work feel fun and purposeful,” said Hayden Dunigan. “What would normally be considered a nightmare assignment in the classroom, turned into a fun experience debating how to best categorize and interpret the data and then present our findings.”
The team also got to participate in a scavenger hunt and listened to guest speaker presentations from MiddleGroundCapital, Race Winning Brands and Simon Sheather, Dean of the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky. The event provided opportunities for the students to introduce themselves to potential future employers and gain insight into their career fields.
“We made many connections with influential people that could help us out in the future,” Money added. “I genuinely encourage students of any major to consider joining the Econ Games.”