There are many ways to gauge success, but one way to bring out the best in people is through a bit of friendly competition. Students from UVA McIntire’s Commerce Cohort program experienced just that when they represented the University over two days in January 2025 at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business’s 14th National Diversity Case Competition (NDCC). The McIntire School’s Commerce Cohort program engages and supports high-achieving, high-need UVA first-years with academic mentorship, career preparation, and personal development.
Facing off against 23 other schools in the annual event, the UVA team tested their developing business skills in ideation, collaboration, strategy, and presentation. The case competition provided a full weekend of networking events and professional development activities that brought together nearly 100 students from across the country.
This year’s case, provided by London-based multinational professional services company Grant Thornton, asked students to develop a comprehensive plan to engage first-generation and traditionally underrepresented high school students in the accounting field.
Students from Emory University won the 2025 competition and $8,000 in prize money, yet the UVA team finished with a strong showing, advancing to the second round and securing sixth place.
Sharice Welch, McIntire’s Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, attended to advise a team for the third consecutive year. “It was incredibly rewarding to take another exceptional group to the competition,” she says. “They had just over one month to prepare their presentation and worked tirelessly and with great dedication, all while balancing exams, winter break, and the first week back to classes. It was also exciting to see them further showcase the skills I had previously observed in their mock case study consulting work during the Commerce Cohort class last year.”
We spoke with UVA Class of ’27 students Cayla Carter, Eric Lin, Stephanie Santis, and Julian Yarborough about the competition and what made it such a valuable learning experience for them.
Meeting the Challenge
Addressing Grant Thorton’s accounting question of engaging more high school students, the UVA team created a solution they called Account for Everyone (AFE).
Carter says that the concept represented their take on a comprehensive initiative.
“At the heart of our strategy was Ledger Odyssey, an innovative, interactive video game that immerses students in real-world accounting scenarios and exposes them to 20 unique roles within the profession,” she explains. “This gamified learning experience makes accounting more accessible and engaging.”
Yarborough says it was time for a fresh take: “We felt the archaic method of emailing students for opportunities and inviting them to webinars is a strategy of the past. Ledger Odyssey excites students by offering them a new perspective on the diverse roles in accounting.” But the game was just the beginning of the engagement. “It would entice students to complete the game by offering to fly them to Grant Thorton’s headquarters in Chicago for a three-day in-person symposium.” Carter envisioned such a symposium providing “hands-on learning, networking opportunities with industry professionals, and career-planning workshops” that would bestow exclusive Grant Thornton certification to the participants and furnish “a direct pathway into the firm’s national alumni network.”
To further maximize the results of outreach and drive participation, Santis says the team “focused on in-person school promotions by generating excitement through presentations and word-of-mouth campaigns, while also leveraging social media marketing on platforms like Instagram and TikTok to create engaging content, highlight success stories, and drive interest.” She notes that the combination of hands-on engagement with digital reach supported a virtual and in-person approach. “Our strategy ensured that the program was both accessible and impactful, appealing to a wide audience while maintaining a strong real-world connection.”
Those targeted outreach initiatives included the deployment of URM professionals from Grant Thornton, which, Carter adds, would serve “to demystify the accounting field and provide both immediate engagement and sustained support, ensuring a meaningful pipeline of diverse talent into accounting.”
High Points and Learning Moments
Many aspects of taking part in the case competition weekend stood out to the students.
Carter found that networking with new people and working with her teammates were particularly valuable.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of NDCC was the opportunity to connect with like-minded peers, faculty, and industry professionals. I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with my team as well—we were all highly motivated, hardworking, and dedicated to delivering an impactful solution. We were very receptive to each other’s feedback, and each became leaders when the moment demanded it,” she says, explaining that their range of personalities made for an effective and fun team dynamic.
“The experience of networking with top firms like EY and KPMG, as well as engaging with students from diverse backgrounds (University of Denver, Tulane University, Indiana University Bloomington), was incredibly inspiring,” says the Long Island, NY, native. “Our team connected really well with a recruiter from EY and even sat down and had lunch with him as a team!”
Santis most enjoyed the chance to be immersed in a professional environment: “It provided a glimpse into what a career in consulting might be like. Despite the formal setting, the teams and staff were incredibly welcoming and supportive, making the experience both exciting and enjoyable.”
Yarborough credits his teammates for their mutual support, saying they were nonjudgmental, helping to “spur incredible innovation.”
“Sharice [Welch] truly pulled through in organizing our team and making sure that we all became comfortable with each other so that our solution came across genuine and purposeful,” Yarborough says, also stressing the jolt he got from presenting. “It was exciting to stand in front of a room of professionals and like-minded business individuals to train my speaking abilities and deliver solutions that hit close to home.”
For Carter, “balancing creativity with feasibility” was the most challenging aspect. “We wanted our solution to be both innovative and implementable, which required extensive research and strategic thinking,” she says. “Additionally, presenting in front of esteemed professionals (Grant Thornton executives) was a high-pressure yet invaluable learning experience that I had never participated in before this competition.”
Despite overcoming early hurdles, Santis acknowledged that the lack of structured guidance about how to best approach the case proved difficult: “While we had plenty of creative freedom, it was difficult not to wonder how other teams approached the problem, whether we had done too much or not nearly enough.”
Yarborough agrees. “The problem was incredibly open-ended,” he says. “Open-ended questions are more challenging, but they allowed us to use diverse ideas for diverse innovation. We needed to consider how to out-design our competition while providing a valuable solution.”
Essential Understanding
This year’s competition proved an overwhelmingly positive experience for the UVA student team.
Lin says his passion for consulting was further cultivated while he improved his public speaking skills, “especially after presenting in front of a large audience during the final round.” He adds that the experience “really boosted my confidence and reinforced my excitement for this field.”
Santis found the event to be incredibly valuable: “I learned how to think critically under pressure, work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, and adapt our ideas based on feedback. One of the biggest takeaways was understanding how to craft and deliver a compelling presentation, ensuring our ideas were not only innovative but also clearly communicated. Beyond the skills, what stays with me the most is the confidence I gained in presenting ideas in a professional setting,” she says.
Yarborough says that the competition taught him the importance of identifying problems that are close to home. “As I researched for the competition, I realized that students from my hometown struggled with the same lack of financial acumen and industry exposure I was looking to solve,” says the Germantown, MD, product. “That will stick with me. I have a better understanding over the environment around me and how I can provide value to my community.”
For Carter, adaptability proved to be a standout lesson. “At one point, we planned to use TikTok as a major part of our outreach strategy—until we realized that, at the time, the platform was under scrutiny and could have been banned,” she recalls. “In business, you always need a Plan B (and preferably a Plan C, D, and E). I also learned that networking is less about perfect resumes and more about genuine connections. The relationships I built through this experience—whether with teammates, mentors, or recruiters—are ones I’ll carry forward in my career.”
She is grateful to the Kelley School of Business for hosting the competition and both the Commerce School and the Commerce Cohort program for offering the opportunity for her to compete and remains proud of her team’s efforts—notable for being one of only six schools to advance to the second round. “Out of so many incredible teams, making it to the next stage was a huge accomplishment. It felt amazing to represent McIntire and UVA on a national stage, proving that we could hold our own against some of the best schools in the country,” she says. “Seeing our hard work pay off demonstrated the caliber of McIntire’s students and knowing that we made our school proud was an unforgettable feeling.”
