A team of four Nebraska Business students won the regional Deloitte FanTAXtic case competition held in Chicago. The students advanced and then represented Nebraska at the national competition where top teams competed for more than $50,000 in individual scholarships.
 
Nebraska’s team included Braelyn Isernhagen, a sophomore accounting major from Deshler, Nebraska; Ben Moe, a junior accounting major from Burnsville, Minnesota; Ashley Tyler, a junior accounting and finance major from Omaha, Nebraska; and Austin Vandersteen, a sophomore accounting major from Naperville, Illinois. They demonstrated the ability to work collaboratively to solve a complex business case simulation that provided insights and perspectives on challenges facing the profession today. At the regional competition, a panel of live and virtual judges recognized students for the quality of their overall presentation.
 
Isernhagen said the team spent 20-25 hours preparing for the competition. Their hard work up front proved fruitful to make the most of the competition’s opportunity.
 
“We got experience with a tax problem that we could easily encounter in our careers someday. It was also a great way to network and gain exposure with a Big Four accounting firm like Deloitte,” she said.
 
Kay Maresh J.D., assistant professor of practice in accountancy and executive in residence, served as the team’s faculty advisor. She said the recipe for their success included stretching their strengths and not being afraid to put in the prep work to be competition-ready.
 
“They applied concepts learned in the classroom to solve the problem and gained valuable experience presenting and thinking on their feet to answer questions from the judges,” Maresh said. “In addition to working hard, they valued each other’s strengths and were supportive of each other.”
 
They got to know each other’s strengths while practicing sample case studies and presenting them to School of Accountancy faculty. Isernhagen said each member brought a unique mixture of knowledge, experience and strengths to the team.
 
“Ben and Ashley utilized information they learned in a tax course this semester to give us a good start. Austin navigates Excel very well. Together we were able to put together a very professional presentation to deliver. Our professionalism and application of our tax knowledge set us apart from other teams,” Isernhagen said.
 
The annual competition is sponsored by Deloitte Tax LLP and supported by the Deloitte Foundation.