Finally the moment you’ve all been waiting for:
The 2016 Simon Scholars Case Competition winners!
On Sunday, March 20, Carla Mattioli and I welcomed our 4th-annual Simon Scholars competitors to campus. Modeled after the Early Leaders Case Competition held by the Simon Business School, this year’s Simon Scholars competition for high school senior applicants was certainly our most competitive event yet. In fact, one of our judges commented that the case study this year was particularly challenging compared to previous years. Of the 158 
applicants who wanted to participate in the $15,000 business scholarship competition, only 53 students were invited, making this once again our most selective year to date.
Competitors were each given a copy of the business case upon registration. It was then up to the individual students and the teammates they’d meet on Sunday to come prepared with their own research ideas and work together as a team on a solution to the case. In less than 24 hours of meeting each other, they would present a fifteen-minute PowerPoint presentation Monday afternoon to a group of four experienced judges.
Although they’ve all done an incredible job, I’m excited to announce that we have selected ten winners for the 2016 Simon Scholars competition! One team and six individuals were chosen to receive the $15,000 Simon Scholars annual tuition scholarship at the University of Rochester. Selection was based on the judges’ score sheets, peer evaluations, our interactions with all competitors throughout the two-day event and beyond, and their general applications for admission and the for the Simon Scholars program. Believe me when I say this was no easy task.
The team winners for the Case Competition for their collaborative skills, innovative ideas, and excellent responses to judges’ questions was Team H!
Six other individual competitors were also recognized by the judges and selection committee as Simon Scholars winners. These individual winners include:
- Hannah Tipper
- Michaela Farmer
- Drew Harris
- Maya Haigis
- John Carr
- Rizwan Sidhu
I would like to extend my congratulations to all of our competitors for a job well done this year. You came, you saw, you conquered—from observing each presentation with the judges, I found each one impressive and an indication of the success you are destined for in all your collegiate endeavors.
Good luck, Simon Scholars Competitors!
To learn more about the Simon Scholars Case Competition, check out the Simon Scholars website at http://enrollment.rochester.edu/simon-scholars/, or email Justine at Justine.Rumbel@rochester.edu.