Marlborough Team Wins Bain and Co. Case Study Competition

On May 16, 2022, ten Marlborough students competed on two teams in Bain and Company’s High School Case Study Competition. Tasked with solving the real-life issue of increasing the viewership and reach of YouTube’s Shorts product, students had only one month to prepare, collect data, research industry best-practices, and brainstorm potential solutions to present in front of a panel of judges which included the Head of the Undergraduate Economics Department at UCLA, a senior executive from YouTube, and two leaders at Bain and Company.  Throughout the process, Bain consultants and business students at UCLA offered their mentorship and insights. Competing for the first time in this competition and against six other Los Angeles-area schools, Marlborough students shone. Jina K. ’23, Lauren M. ’23, Katherine P. ’22, Claire R. ’23, and Elise Y. ’23 from Marlborough Team 2 won first place in this fierce and prestigious competition.

Marlborough alumna Meghan Vinnicombe ’14, a consultant at Bain and Company, originally presented this opportunity to Marlborough. During her visit to campus for a Pushing Perspectives series hosted by the Career Connections Club in February 2022, Meghan shared the ins and outs of her consulting work, her journey to this role through investment banking, and excitedly presented the details of the competition. 

Regina Rosi Mitchell, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) knew this was an area in which Marlborough students would thrive. It was their opportunity to step into a business consultant’s shoes – complete research-heavy work, gather and interpret data, and creatively synthesize their findings. “This interdisciplinary collaboration fit in seamlessly with curriculum taught in the CEI,” Ms. Rosi Mitchell shared. “Students learn how to problem solve, think outside the box, and find innovative solutions to real-world issues.”

Student participants echoed Ms. Rosi Mitchell’s sentiments, citing classes such as Entrepreneurship 101 and experiences leading clubs like ECON (an economics-focused student group) as integral to their ultimate success. Learning how to collaborate effectively was another important and rewarding aspect of each team’s time together. Jina K. ’23 reflected on her and her team’s work and how they were able to grow over the course of the project. 

“Recently I looked back on our first ideas, and even the very first draft of our pitch,” Jina said. “ It's amazing to see how much we grew, both with our ideas as well as our collaboration.” As for what allowed the Marlborough teams to truly excel, Elise Y. ’23 credits her experience at Marlborough as a whole. She said, “The leadership and confidence skills that the Marlborough environment fosters absolutely contributed to our success.”

Congratulations to Lita C. ’23, Alix E. ’23, Jina K. ’23, Lilly L. ’23, Lauren M. ’23, Katherine P. ’22, Claire R. ’23, Alexia R. ’23, Sophia Y. ’23, and Elise Y. ’23 who competed, seizing this incredible opportunity and gaining invaluable experience all while supporting and uplifting one another throughout the process.