My name is Rose Goggin, I am a final year BComm student and recently represented CUBS in Florida at the Heavener International Case Competition with my teammates Ellen O’Brien, Ciara McKeon and Jennifer Hanafin. It was by far one of the best things I’ve got involved in during my four years in UCC.
We travelled over with our mentor and coach Professor Ed Shinnick. We stayed in a hotel right across from University of Florida campus, so we were able to use there amazing facilities when practicing and doing the cases during the week. The red brick campus and sunny weather were quite the change from UCC!
The competition involved three stages, a 4 hour, 12 hour and 16 hour case. The first case was on a non-profit called ‘One Blood’ who were looking to increase donations amongst gen z and millennials. The second case was on ‘EtectRx’ a digital health company that has created an ID cap system that tracks when and if patients have taken the pill. The last case was on an insect bug repellent brand called ‘Vevo’ who are partnered with Procter and Gamble under P&G ventures.
All three cases were very interesting but also challenging. We got to put our academic learnings to practice as we had to research, come up with solutions and create a presentation on our findings within short time frames. After the first three rounds we topped our division and got to the finals, where we presented our final presentation for the final judging panel. We could not have done it without the support and guidance of our Coach, Professor Ed Shinnick, who spent the weeks leading up to the trip preparing and training us with practice cases. Professor Shinnick was of great support during the competition, he helped us take the feedback after each case and ensure we understood it and could make improvements in the next round.
We were delighted to place 4th out of 20th international teams. The standard was incredibly high and getting to the finals was an amazing end to the week. Time absolutely flew out there, we had socials and different activities on in between the cases, so it was a jam-packed week. I know I will always look back on this experience as a highlight of my years in UCC!
