UCF’s squad emerged victorious in the fourth annual Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Battle of the Brains competition, hosted by global financial organization KPMG. UCF’s team outperformed 17 other teams to secure the $50,000 top prize — marking the university’s second win as national champions. The event, which took place from October 2 to October 5, included a 17-hour case competition, followed by three days of networking, professional development sessions, a career fair, and final presentations at KPMG Lakehouse, the firm’s cutting-edge learning and innovation center.
UCF’s winning team consisted of eight students from the College of Business and College of Engineering and Computer Science:
Ignacio Battaglia – business economics and finance student
Katherine Beltré – integrated business student
Caitlin Castro – accounting student, Burnett Honors College scholar
Mariana Guerrero – accounting student
Jeff Linares – integrated business student with a professional selling minor
Daniel Millán-Nieves – industrial engineering student
Julia Da Silva ’22 – team captain, computer science alum and current engineering management master’s student
Isidoro Serrano – accounting student
The team was guided by faculty advisor David Penn, a lecturer in the Department of Integrated Business with a diverse background in IT, project management, business, digital film technology, and museum management. Penn credits UCF’s triumph to “the amazing synergy of talented student leaders coming together, motivated by a common passion for blending business and STEM. Their cooperation, mutual assistance, and dedication to honing optimal presentation skills fueled innovation and captivated the audience.”
UCF’s participation in the HSI Battle of the Brains competition over the years aligns with the university’s HSI mission of ‘servingness’ and intentionality, as expressed by Cyndia Morales Muñiz ’13EdD, senior director for Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives at UCF. The competition encourages students to leverage their cultural assets as they pursue professional success.
The competition requires teams to integrate accounting, design, policy, business, and STEM disciplines into their case presentations. Teams must develop a business solution featuring transformative technology, marketing strategies, and thorough analyses. UCF’s interdisciplinary team showcased a pioneering business and technology solution that exemplified creativity and excellence.
The win reaffirms UCF’s position among the nation’s top five most innovative public universities and Florida’s most innovative institution for seven consecutive years. UCF’s victory in the 2024 competition builds on a legacy of success across multiple categories, highlighting its partnership between the College of Business, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the Office for Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives.
Founded by social entrepreneur Gregory Gibson Jr., the competition aims to showcase the contributions of HSI institutions and provide a platform for exceptional Hispanic students in business and STEM fields. The 2024 competition featured a distinguished panel of judges from major sponsors, including KPMG, Capital One, Dell Technologies, eBay, Thrivent, Electronic Arts, and VISA.
