Carey MBA student wins case competition at Fortune 500 company

Scrolling through social media with a marketer’s eye has helped full-time student Anny Gonzalez (MBA ’24) understand content creation for this generation. It also helped her win first place at Samsung’s Marketing Case Competition Vol. 2–a win that comes with a three-month Google mentorship, a Qualcomm internship opportunity, and an assortment of swag from Samsung.

Gonzalez, who completed her undergraduate degree in Korea, follows Korean companies like Samsung Electronics on social media for job opportunities post-MBA. That’s how she found out about their upcoming case competition for college students of all majors. 

“I had just completed two marketing electives in the MBA program, so I figured I could apply the knowledge and strategies I had learned into the case competition,” Gonzalez said.

The prompt focused on how Gen Z might use the company’s AI-integrated smartphone for their content creation. 

Gonzalez considered the generation’s advantages—technological experience and adaptability—in the context of how they create content. 

“Growing up with smartphones, social media, and content creation, this generation has realized they can make a career in content, and many young people are forgoing formal education and jumping right into entrepreneurship,” she said.

Even if content creators don’t need formal education, Gonzalez’s MBA program contributed significantly to her strategic approach, especially two of her marketing electives. She gained the skills in market data, back up strategies, and how to prove a return on investment—all aspects the case competition judges would consider. The judges would also review presentations based on presentation quality, strategy and thinking, execution and impact of the proposed plan, and anticipated results, including return on investment.

The three-round competition ended in New York City, where Gonzalez and other finalists pitched in-person in front of a live audience and a panel of executives from top technology firms and advertising agencies. 

“I presented in front of top leadership from Samsung, Qualcomm, UScellular, and more,” she said. “It felt like the real deal. We weren’t allowed to use notes for the presentation, so I knew I had to impress them with my delivery.”

She had course experience for that, too. Gonzalez had taken a business communication course that helped her understand how to address an audience through tone and body language.

After winning first place, Gonzalez networked with the judges and additional executives from Samsung. She is now in the early stages of learning how her internship and mentorship opportunities at Google and Qualcomm will work, conversations that further develop those networks. 

“The networking skills I learned throughout the MBA program allowed me to connect with people I never imagined I’d be speaking to,” she said. “I’m already seeing the impact of the MBA program. I apply the skills to communicate and network effectively. It’s been amazing.”