Three members of the York Phi Beta Lambda Chapter took part in a national competition and gained knowledge about the stock market

Understanding the stock market can be a complicated process but for three students in the Penn State York Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) Chapter, not only did they learn more about the stock market, but they took first-place in a national challenge called The Stock Market Game.

Award-winners were Justin Lin, Kaitlin Lin, and Cameron Wheeler, all Penn State York students and members of the campus PBL group. Megan Lorenz, PBL adviser and lecturer in business administration at Penn State York, also received an award.

The Stock Market Game, hosted by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), provided all three students with a better understanding of how the stock market works by giving them with an opportunity to manage a financial portfolio that mimics the real-time volatility of the actual stock market. The challenge was to grow a financial portfolio more than the other teams in the competition.

For Cameron Wheeler, a finance major, the experience gave him the real-life aspect of the stock market, which he enjoyed.

“The positions we took were reflective of the NASDAQ and the NYSE, in real time,” he said. “Sitting down with my team members and looking over real companies and valuations was memorable.” Since he is a finance major, Wheeler also thought that participating in the game was a wonderful opportunity to increase his skills in the stock market.

Justin and Kaitlin, both PBL members, were inspired to compete in The Stock Market Game because they wanted to learn more about how the stock market operates. Justin Lin is an accounting major and Kaitlin Lin is a biochemistry major.

Throughout the semester-long competition, all three students followed the stock market and did research to gain a better understanding of how it operates. Along with a feeling of accomplishment, the students received a SWAG bag, medals, and certificates in recognition of their first-place win.

“I now understand more about the stock market and how it works and am more comfortable investing real money,” said Justin. His most memorable moment of the competition was when York was announced as a first-place winner.

David Christiansen, chancellor of Penn State York presented the medallions and certificates to the group on Feb. 15.

Professional critiquing event

In February, the York Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) Chapter sponsored a professional critiquing event. PBL members invited local human resources professionals and employers around York County to participate in mock interviews and résumé reviews. More than 35 students participated in the event which was student-run and took place in the new Graham Center for Innovation and Collaboration on campus.

Phi Beta Lambda is the collegiate division of the nonprofit organization Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), which is the largest business career and technical student organization in the world. FBLA-PBL inspires and prepares students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences. The competition took place in the fall semester 2021.