A group of Spelman College students walked away with $1 million after winning the Goldman Sachs Market Madness: HBCUs Possibilities Program.
The Spelman students competed against teams from seven other historically Black colleges and universities to land the prize.
Spelman was stewarded by 15 of their most talented students in the program The Goldman Sachs Dream Team, made up of sophomores Britney Kwakye, Gia Tejeda, Whitney Williams, Anisah Thomas and Caroline Whitfield, sealed the deal after presenting a stellar strategic solution to Procter and Gamble, the subject of the case competition.
“The students who represented Spelman in the Goldman Sachs Market Madness competition demonstrated mastery of their concept, preparedness, tenacity and creativity,” said Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., president of Spelman. “We are proud of the success of the winning team and all of those who participated. As an institution born out of the will to educate Black women, Spelman applauds their success. This competition is a perfect example of providing our students with life changing opportunities.”
Students from Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University and Prairie View A&M University also participated.
In its inaugural year, the competition was the conclusion of a four-month class in finance fundamentals offered to 125 HBCU first and second-year college students.
The initiative is part of the company’s $25 million pledge to support and invest in the power of HBCUs.
“Words can’t begin to describe how proud I am of myself and my teammates,” said Tejeda. “It has been an honor to represent our beloved institution. I often remind myself of the idea that if your dreams don’t scare you, dream bigger. And, while this was a big dream, I remained steadfast in my faith, believed in myself, and always reassured my team that we’d take home the prize. This one is for the home team!”
Each participant will receive a $10,000 academic stipend from Goldman Sachs upon completion of the fourteen-week program.
