Category: News

Houghton High School Team Wins Husky Investment Tournament

Houghton High School students Birk Seagren, Nadja Doman, and Layla Hilts

The fall Husky Investment Tournament results are in! Congratulations to the winners, a team of three students from Houghton High School who grew their virtual portfolio by nearly 11%, increasing its value to $1,108,424.82. The students–Nadja Doman, Layla Hilts, and Birk Seagren–were awarded a $1,000 cash prize. All active tournament participants received a one-time $1,000 Michigan Tech scholarship.

The 12th grade students were in a Personal Finance class instructed by Jennifer Rubin. All of the students in the class participated in the tournament. Rubin says she loves the value that the Husky Investment Tournament provides for her students. “It is a great way to expose them into investing and see live-time how the market works!” she said.

The students’ winning strategy was to purchase a lot of small, growing investment companies, as well as some large stable ones to ensure growth and stability. They did their research to determine which investments had the best returns, looked at trending stocks and stocks they were familiar with, and invested in stocks that aligned with their interests and values.

And a little luck helped, too!

“I liked that it felt like a real investing experience,” said one student. Another said, “I learned that stocks can change in the blink of an eye and there’s always opportunity for success.”

Competing in this fall’s tournament were 202 students on 53 teams from Houghton High School, Marquette Senior High School, Gogebic-Ontonagon, Calumet High School, and Dollar Bay High School. The tournament took place from September 30 to November 8.

Founded in 2019 and hosted by the Michigan Tech College of Business, in the semi-annual Husky Investment Tournament teams of high school students compete with teams at schools in their region while learning about business, finance, investing, and economics as they build an investment portfolio with $1 million virtual dollars.

Typically enrolled in economics, business, or personal finance classes, the students learn about investing step-by-step through a series of weekly videos and articles produced by College of Business students and faculty, which are presented in their classes and augmented by additional learning from their teachers.

To manage their investments, the student teams use Stocktrak, an all-in-one software package for financial education. The platform includes videos, lessons, and other tutorials on hundreds of investment-related topics. For trading, Stocktrak provides a paper-brokerage account that closely resembles the real brokerage accounts offered by investment firms.

Learn more about the Husky Investment Competition.

Leaderboard

Rank Team Market Value Portfolio Value Trades Made % Return
1 husky0160 1,103,868.86 1,108,424.82 28 10.84
2 husky0131 1,087,931.00 1,092,429.43 8 9.24
3 husky0437 1,058,938.15 1,089,061.49 79 8.91
4 husky0187 1,096,198.70 1,086,193.26 33 8.62
5 husky0184 1,072,184.78 1,072,978.95 25 7.3

College of Business Graduate Programs Info Session Is Nov. 14

Michigan Tech students standing at a commencement ceremony

Thinking about a master’s degree? An information session about College of Business graduate programs will take place Thursday, November 14 from 5:30-6:30 pm in AOB 101. The session will share details about coursework, application requirements, and accelerated and online programs. Pizza and drinks will be served.

The following programs will be discussed:

Retired College of Business Lecturer Paul Aho Passes Away

Michigan Technological University’s College of Business honors the memory of Paul Aho, a faculty member dedicated to student success.

The College of Business is saddened to announce that long-time College of Business faculty member Paul Aho passed away November 2 at age 71. Aho served as a lecturer in management information systems from 1987 until his retirement in 2006.

In 1978, Aho completed a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in information systems at Michigan Tech, then working in the accounting industry for several years. Later, he a earned a master’s degree in economics from DePaul University.

“Paul was a great inspiration to me as an undergraduate,” said Adam Mitteer ’03 ’17, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Management and a master’s in Data Science at Michigan Tech. “Taking his classes changed the course of how I looked at technology and really academia in general. It was a pleasure to get to know Paul through clubs, as a TA (teaching assistant) for his class, and taking many of his courses.”

Mitteer said Aho also served as a mentor to students through his connections to industry and University alumni, always helping students find the best path for pursuing fulfilling careers.

Read Aho’s full obituary.

Husky Innovate Business Pitch Competition Is November 20

The annual Husky Innovate Idea Pitch Competition will take place Wednesday, November 20, 2024, from 5-7 pm in the M&M Building, Room U115. Hosted by the College of Business and the Office of Innovation and Commercialization, the pitch competition is a platform for students to showcase their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.

The event encourages participants to present innovative, creative business or product ideas that address real-world problems and opportunities. Participants will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges and cash prizes will be awarded to the top ideas. Supported by expert guidance and feedback, participating students will gain valuable experience in a professional setting, enhance their skills, gain recognition, and make an impact.

The pitch competition is open to all enrolled Michigan Tech undergraduate and graduate students. Participants can compete individually or on teams of up to three members. Each pitch should be a maximum of five minutes and supported by up to five presentation slides. Pitches must adhere to Title IX University guidelines for student conduct.

A mandatory pitch preparation session takes place November 15 from 5:30–7:30 pm in M&M U113. The short seminar will share information about event set-up and design, present pitch idea reviews, and explain the scoring format.

To participate, please register and send pitch slides by Friday, November 17, at 11:59 pm.