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March 2022 - Guarini Institute Sponsored NJCU HSI Battle of the Brains Competition Student Team

The Guarini Institute for International Education and Economic Mobility sponsored $10,000 to the NJCU team to participate in the which took place during March 8-12 in Austin, TX.

NJCU's team was comprised of five undergraduate students – Jessica Rivera and Katie Borjas (Marketing), Gercy Sorto (Accounting), Eduardo Vidal (Finance) Topu Saha (computer science). Along with academic advisor Dr. Jorge Medina, the students competed against teams of 10 other Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) from across the U.S.

“I'm so excited and honored to be representing NJCU at HSI Battle of the Brains, and always grateful for the opportunities to grow, and learn from my peers through new experiences,” said Katie Borjas.

Dr. Jorge Medina, Assistant Professor of Economics, has been serving as the head coach for the NJCU team since the inaugural HSI Battle of the Brains in 2020. Dr. Medina was very pleased to see that a more diverse team of different academic backgrounds was formed this year. “This was a tremendously positive experience and a great opportunity for professional growth and development for all the students,” said Dr. Medina. "We are proud of NJCU students’ achievements in the challenge and the long-term support from NJCU faculty,"

The Battle of the Brains is a national competition that brings students and industry leaders together to address industry-specific skills challenges, mentoring, and professional development. Ea team (one per university) has 24 hours to develop a solution to a cross-disciplinary challenge (a marketing plan, a go-to-market strategy, etc.) received at the beginning of the competition. The teams are also encouraged to incorporate digital media, communication, as well as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM components) into their business or tech solutions. The HSI Battle of the Brains focused on networking and matching students to opportunities in the industry while providing company tours and development workshops in Austin, TX. Students also attended panel discussions with professionals in the business and tech industries to enhance their professional development and grow their network base.

During this trip, NJCU students were connected with the recruiters from sponsor companies such as Amazon, Expedia Group, Dell, Home Depot, MLB, and KPMG. Dr. Medina emphasized that the networking aspect of the competition was a huge opportunity for the students, and believed that it is a meaningful activity for all NJCU faculty to support to help students with their career development.

This is the first direct sponsorship from the Guarini Institute to NJCU students and faculty to support educational enrichment and career connections, which aligns with the Guarini Institute’s mission to foster the economic mobility of NJCU communities. Dr. Adrián Franco, the Executive Director of the Guarini Institute, as well as all team members, we're pleased to be a part of this journey and witness the students' growth. It is an honor to collaborate with NJCU School of Business to make this opportunity available to students. We believe today’s non-traditional college students need a different approach to bridge the current gaps between education and careers.

By connecting our students to educational, mentoring, career building, and work experiences within an innovative, supportive ecosystem and leveraging cutting edge technologies, we help them build the skills, knowledge, confidence, networks, and global awareness to improve their job readiness and their ability to increase income, education, health, and upward mobility. We will continue to support our students across campuses and look forward to a new round of challenges and contributions to the NJCU community.