On the winning team were seniors Giovanni Aldan, Mark Natividad, and Starr Perman, who each won a $1,000 scholarship as well as a free student membership to the AGA.

The challenge invites student teams to analyze data for a specified city, state, or county government and develop a citizen-centric report over the course of two and half weeks. Submissions are judged by a panel of government finance experts. 

“This case competition is an invaluable teaching tool in my undergraduate government accounting course,” said Doreen T. Crisostomo, associate professor of accounting. “Participating in the competition provides them with real-world experience by exposing them to using and researching actual government data.”

According to the AGA, the experience challenges students’ moral reasoning, raises their awareness of the importance of accountability, and opens doors to a career in government. 

“Becoming an auditor for my island’s government was a goal of mine before I began this case challenge,” said Perman, who is from Pohnpei. “Working on this project has encouraged my desire to help improve my government’s services to our people. I now have more confidence in my ability to one day reach this career goal.”

The team’s winning citizen-centric report can be viewed here and their video presentation can be viewed here.