UF MIB team beats MBA teams at international case competition

In a competition of MBA student teams, no one expected the youngest and only specialized master’s team to rank, let alone win the entire competition. University of Florida Warrington College of Business Master of International Business (MIB) students Julia Scarton (MIB ‘27), Alejandro Arvelo (BSBA ‘26, MIB ‘26), Zachary Jones (BSBA ‘26, MIB ‘26) and Mell Vigoa (BABA ‘26, MIB ‘27) rose to the challenge and won first place in the University of Glasgow master’s case competition. 

The week-long competition consisted of three cases: a three-hour case, a four-hour case and a 12-hour case. The teams were split into three divisions, and after the 12-hour case, the top-scoring teams competed against each other in the finals. 

Only Jones had experience in international case competitions; the rest of the team was new to the experience. While preparing for the competition, the team had to learn everything from the basics to advanced PowerPoint techniques. The team also practiced sample cases leading up to the event. 

Throughout the competition, the team prioritized collaboration and trust in their strategy. They split responsibilities with roles aligning with each of their strengths, allowing them to develop clear and confident recommendations efficiently. 

As one of the only two teams from the United States, the team noted the cultural differences between their work in the U.S. and the Scottish cases. 

“The international nature of the coursework, I think, definitely set us apart from the rest of the competitors,” Jones said. “Because our classes are focused on business knowledge outside of just the U.S., when competing on an international stage, it allowed us to live inside the people of Scotland. To understand the consumer trends and what the people actually care about there rather than the U.S.”

“Compared to some of the other teams that had very strong technical backgrounds, I believe that our coursework and program places a lot of importance on the soft skills that are needed to be successful in business,” Vigoa said. “Our recommendations may not have been as technical as other teams, but the way that we were able to communicate our ideas and draw the audience in truly set us apart, and I attribute it to the number of networking and presenting exposure we get in MIB.”

The team would like to thank their coach, Sean Limon, for his motivation and expertise throughout the competition.