Students Best in Nation

Photo credit: David Campbell/ASU.

Students Win Top National Award at Experian's Center for Financial Advancement Competition  

By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU 

Four Alabama State University students traveled to California recently and came back home, having won top national honors at Experian's Center for Financial Management Competition's Hackathon Finals, which were held April 5-7 in Costa Mesa, Calif. ASU's students were also awarded a cash prize of $40,000. The Alabama State University office of Career Services sponsored the winning team. 

"Our students beat out 250 of their peers in a series of competitions from college-aged scholars who represented 14 different Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) from across the nation," said Dr. Sabrina Crowder, ASU’s director of Career Services. "The Hackathon is a challenge for each university team to identify and communicate the best way to teach financial literacy to young people,18-25 years-old, with a focus on helping them both understand and obtain better credit ratings." 

ASU STUDENT WINNERS 

ASU’s winning team included three freshmen Computer Science majors— Thomas Mulaisho, Takudzwa Modza and Mandlenkosi Sibanda; and Janai Thompson, a sophomore majoring in Social Work. 

Crowder explained that this year's win is very special for ASU. 

"The win this year is especially sweet and means the world to us here at the University because this was our very first year to compete in this challenge; and to win with such a young team, composed of mostly freshman members, exhibits that we will have a team to be reckoned with for several more years at this Experian event," Crowder said. 

News media contact: Kenneth Mullinax, 334-229-4104. 

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