High school students awarded $32,000 in scholarships First place honors went to the Austin, Texas Leaders of Tomorrow team, who will split $26,000 in scholarship monies. The South Florida and Memphis, Tenn. chapters placed second and third, respectively, and each team was awarded $3,000. "ExxonMobil is a proud sponsor of the NBMBAA Leaders of Tomorrow Business Case Competition and its efforts to honor and promote our next generation of leaders from the African-American community," said Gerald McElvy, president of Exxon Mobil Foundation. "We congratulate the students for their outstanding accomplishments. The level of detail and professionalism in their case presentations is exceptional." “The fact that these high school students worked to present graduate school-quality work shows their dedication and potential. The analytical and problem-solving skills that students acquire by participating in this competition are seeds that will grow into careers as the entrepreneurs, CEOs, engineers and businesspeople that will determine our long-term economic progress,” said Barbara Thomas, president and CEO of the National Black MBA Association. To prepare for the competition — which called for the analysis of a Harvard business case — the five-member competing teams worked for almost four months with a dedicated, local mentor who coached them about topics such as financial analysis, marketing, organizational analysis, implementation and plan design, and presentation skills. Leaders of Tomorrow mentors also work on a national level, mentoring hundreds of students and helping them prepare for college and careers through academic support, professional development, public speaking, coaching and networking. Competing teams represented numerous NBMBAA Leaders of Tomorrow chapters, including Atlanta; Chicago; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas-Fort Worth; Detroit; Houston; Indianapolis; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; Newark, N.J.; Philadelphia; Miami; St. Louis, Mo.; Washington, D.C.; Stamford, Conn.; and Rochester, N.Y. Case competition judges came from corporate America and academia. # # # ABOUT the National Black MBA Association Established in 1970, the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) is dedicated to developing partnerships that result in the creation of intellectual and economic wealth in the black community through its five channels of engagement; education, career, leadership, entrepreneurship, and lifestyle. With 40-plus chapters, a membership base of more than 8,000 and more than 400 corporate partners, the NBMBAA provides access to its constitutants through services such as the Annual NBMBAA Conference; Local Empowerment Initiatives; and other programs. The NBMBAA Conference is the nation's largest professional African American conference and exposition. To learn more about the NBMBAA, visit www.nbmbaa.org. ABOUT ExxonMobil ExxonMobil engages in a range of philanthropic activities that advance education, health and science in the communities where ExxonMobil has significant operations. In the United States, ExxonMobil supports initiatives to improve math and science education at the K-12 and higher education levels. In 2008, together with its employees and retirees, Exxon Mobil Corporation, its divisions and affiliates, and Exxon Mobil Foundation provided $225 million in contributions worldwide, of which more than $89 million was dedicated to education. Additional information on ExxonMobil's community partnerships and contributions programs is available at www.exxonmobil.com/community.
CHICAGO — More than 20 teams of high school students from across the country participated in the 8th Annual National Black MBA Association Leaders of Tomorrow National Business Case Competition, which was held at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business on Saturday, June 20.