Hundreds of Students Benefitted
"First, I am so grateful for…all the strategy faculty for creating and implementing the capstone experience! Thank you for being creative by doing something more than multiple choice tests! It was extremely valuable, as it combines formal classroom learning while preparing us students for the world after graduation. Part of what makes this valuable is the corporate sponsors and presenting to actual businesses. Capstone Cup is such a unique opportunity that I am thankful for!
Second, I have been looking forward to competing for about 2 years (maybe a little more). Ever since the first time I heard about the competition, I was ready to go all in and could not wait for my chance to participate (I love a good competition), and that was even back when I had no clue about the logistics of the presentations. Everyday to walk upstairs in Mammel Hall, I would pass the Capstone Cup trophy, and I would get all excited, my chance was getting closer.
The first time I met with my group the very first thing I said to them was "I am Kiley Phelps and I want to win this." At the time, that statement was just a dream - everyone wants to win. I knew winning would be difficult because there are lots of groups, lots of smart people, that the statement I made to my group seemed unrealistic. I am thankful that Group 7 was perceptive of my first impression and did not think I was crazy, but instead, decided they too wanted to win.
My group was the best group I had! I was initially afraid of random groups. Group 7 was cohesive, hard working, reliable, determined, motivating - everything one would look for in a great group! One thing that all four of us were most proud of was our unique positioning being an all female team, which we recently found out that we were the first all female winners, making our consulting name [of Shattered Ceiling Consulting] that much more fitting!
Lastly, the Capstone Cup still worked really well and was valuable with the new challenges of the online format. I am glad plans were able to be adapted to allow us students to keep competing! After reading the announcement that finals were going to be optional, I didn't even have to question my participation - and neither did my other group members. I was disappointed that we could not present in the auditorium, hug my group after the announcement, shake hands with the judges, or finally hold that coveted trophy. However, I am still proud to leave this as part of my legacy at UNO. I loved everything about the Capstone Cup and am grateful for the opportunity!”
- Kiley Phelps, Spring 2020
“The Capstone class and competition is one of the best aspects of UNO CBA. The beauty in diversity is one of a kind. Nothing prepares you more for the real business world than being put into teams with various majors and skills and analyzing a case study to present to a group of local professionals. I really enjoyed this course and competition, and even though it didn’t end in the physical environment we had expected (or would have liked), the professors and Capstone Team did a wonderful job of being flexible and establishing a strategy to move forward. This course and competition helped me immensely as I finished my last semester of my undergraduate. Not only did I learn about Corporate and Business Strategy, but I was allowed the opportunity to work on a team with 3 amazing women and showcase our particular skills. I attribute any success to the cohesive nature of our team; those three were great to work with and I know they’ll do amazing things in life. Finally, I’m extremely grateful to have participated in Capstone. It definitely wasn’t easy, but the challenge helped me grow academically, professionally, and personally.”
- Mandi Backhaus, Spring 2020
“My Capstone Cup experience was the cherry on top of a great undergraduate collegiate career at UNO. The Capstone cup allowed me to expand my network and work with students outside my area of concentration. Personally, I am very much an analytical thinker and formulate thoughts in terms of numbers and the bottom line, but working with students concentrating in marketing, entrepreneurship, and management helped me break outside my normal thought patterns. As one who will never back down from a challenge, I loved the competitive aspect of the Capstone Cup. It was a fantastic way to bring together the course material from the classroom and mix it with real-world scenarios.”
- Sammy Young, Fall 2019
“I am so grateful for the Capstone Cup experience. This competition is by far one of the most valuable experiences I’ll take with me from my time at UNO CBA. To begin, my team members were the most hardworking and dedicated people to work with. Never have I experienced such a cohesive team, where we all acted as leaders and did an equal share of work. It really goes to show that your team members can make all the difference. I’ll forever be thankful to them. Secondly, it was great to put the skills we’ve learned through Corporate and Business strategy, to the test. The Capstone Cup helped me think in different ways and also develop many more skills. It was a very ‘real world’ setting and allowed us to think outside of the box. Lastly, the strategy staff have made this process smooth sailing. Wish I could do it over!”
- Tanya Konuhova, Spring 2020
“What I enjoyed most was the chance to work and solve real business problems with my peers. With me being a non-traditional student, I have been in the workforce for a number of years now. This was as close to a real-life job experience than anything I have encountered throughout the Business Program.”
- Sean Powers, Spring 2020
"The Capstone Cup is one of the most engaging, academically challenging, and fun class projects I did at UNO. The competition encouraged me and a lot of other students to try harder which also meant we got more out of it. This was the first time every class I took combined together into one cohesive unit which was very rewarding to see as I finished off my undergraduate business degree. Even though I didn’t make it to the finals, I was still able to participate in the poster competition which brought yet another unique and new element for applying all of my classroom knowledge to a real-world problem. I’m addition, I also was contacted by business professionals afterwards about the poster which shows that whether you’re in the finals or not, the Capstone Cup can provide a lot of great opportunities for any graduating senior."
- Chris Winchester, Spring 2019
"Participating in the Capstone cup was a phenomenal experience. I really enjoyed the collaboration with my team and getting to research and dive into the case studies. Since the competition was moved to become entirely virtual, it was a great learning experience on how to use virtual tools to collaborate and present.”
- Jay Andersen, Spring 2020