A West Texas A&M University student team of stock analysts advanced to the championships in a regional competition.

WT’s CFA Research Challenge team vied against teams from across Texas and Louisiana in the Charted Financial Analysts’ Global CFA Institute Research Challenge.

Students are tested on their core knowledge of equity investments; leadership, management and communication skills; and standards, ethics and regulations. Students present their recommendations to and answer questions from prestigious industry judges.

Each team researched CECO Environmental, a Dallas firm which manufactures environmental solutions for energy, air quality and fluid filtration systems.

“The competition showcases what our students have learned during their time in the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business,” said Dr. Barbara Wang, Gene Edwards Professor of Banking and faculty adviser. “We are very proud of our students and the opportunity to advance is a great achievement.”

Four months of intense works culminates in a 20-page analyst report, a 10-minute presentation and a 10-minute question-and-answer session, said Dr. Anne Macy, Gene Edwards Professor of Finance and faculty adviser.

“The students gain skills in financial forecasting and analytics as they create their recommendation,” Macy said. “It is an incredible learning experience for our students.”

WT competed against 20 other teams, advancing with seven others to the oral competition round, where it lost to the eventual winner, the University of Texas—San Antonio.

Team members are Levi Zemanuel, a graduate student in finance and economics from Amarillo; Dylan Janota, an accounting major from Amarillo; Daniela Pesic, a finance major from Zagreb, Croatia; and Trevor Reid, a finance major from Plainview.

“The courses in the Engler College of Business are very rigorous, especially at the graduate level. But with CFA, we perform an analysis that is identical to what a financial analyst would be assigned to complete in a career setting,” Zemanuel said. “This idea of working on a time-sensitive task with other people who have different schedules is reflective of the workforce today and prepares us to perform at the highest level after we graduate.”

Providing a nurturing yet rigorous educational environment for all learners is a key goal of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign.

-West Texas A&M University