The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition challenges students to think creatively and develop unique strategies for real-world financial scenarios.
Hosted by the University of Pennsylvania, the competition is currently in its three-month session, where students are tasked with developing outside-of-the-box strategies for specific financial scenarios. With over 2,400 teams from around the world competing, the recent submission of midterm reports has raised the stakes.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for students to get investing experience and work both collaboratively and creatively. It provides an outlet to help students figure out whether or not they’re interested in investing,” said Nathan Paris, the co-president of the Investment Competition Club.
The Investment Competition Club was created to support students interested in competing in investing-related competitions. The club branched off from the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), which had previously unofficially organized the competition, while also allowing time for other specific events.
“I wanted to give normal DECA members an opportunity to work on the competition and make time for it without any conflicting time frames,” Paris said.
Many students have shared how valuable the competition has been, saying it has helped them grow.
“I see myself doing this competition again next year so that I can improve my results even at the halfway mark,” said Olivia Renard, a freshman competing in the competition.
The competition uses a simulation system, the Wharton Investment Simulator (WInS) that tracks the movement of the stock market all over the world, giving students versatility when picking stocks.
Renard also enjoys the time that she gets with her team members, provided by the Investment Competition Club, while working on the various reports.
“One of my favorite parts about competing is honestly just being with my teammates because it’s a good way to collaborate and a good way to build relationships,” Renard said.
The freedom that the competition gives its participants is one of the most appreciated parts of it within the Carlmont community. As for what the clubs have planned in the future, Paris lays out a scope of what they want to participate in.
“We’re looking into doing some club-wide competitions with gift cards as prizes and other things like that. There’s a lot to look forward to when it comes to student events,” Paris said.
In regards to how well Carlmont has done in the past, John Rowe, the local advisor for the competition as well as one of the business teachers continues to keep track of student successes.
“We’ve had some students finish in the top 150 in the past and look forward to seeing who makes it this year,” Rowe said.
