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Members of team Amity 7 Chakras Investments. Top row, left to right: Piyush Bahel, Henry Ranani, Eydan Lavi, Aarav Patel, Lucas Rodriguez-Herlihy; Bottom row, left to right: Anchal Bahel, Annika Yun
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania has announced the top 3 global teams for the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition, an annual contest for high school students. Unlike other competitions, winners are selected on the strength and creativity of their team investment strategies, not on the growth of their stock portfolios.
After presenting live to a panel of industry professionals, students from Amity Regional High School placed 2nd globally. The team, known as team Amity 7 Chakras Investments, consists of members Piyush Bahel ‘23, Anchal Bahel ‘23, Lucas Rodriguez-Herlihy ‘23, Eydan Lavi ‘24, Henry Ranani ‘24, Annika Yun ‘24, and team captain Aarav Patel ‘24.
Over 3,200 registered teams from 53 countries competed in this competition, which focused on a case study of a client, Peter Hjemdahl. Since September, these seven students have developed an investing strategy for Hjemdahl with several “chakras,” or stages, which utilize data-driven analysis to ensure peace-of-mind investing.
Out of the thousands of initial teams who submitted investment reports, only 55 moved onto the semifinals to submit a video pitch. After their presentation was reviewed, Amity qualified for the global finals, placing within the top 10 teams.
These finalist teams were invited to the Wharton School from April 20th to April 22nd, where they had the opportunity to listen to keynote speakers, take a tour of the campus, and meet students from across the world. The global final teams spanned from Virginia, California, Georgia, Indiana, Texas, Canada, South Korea, India, and the Czech Republic.
On the morning of April 22nd, the 10 teams competed for the global finale. Each team had 10 minutes to pitch their unique investment strategies followed by 5 minutes of questioning from the judges.
For four hours, teams took turns presenting economic analysis, custom algorithms, ESG considerations, and more. Judge Michael DeFlorio, CEO of private equity firm Harvest Partners, “was amazed by the quality in the room.”
Andrea Vittorelli, the global insurance chair at JP Morgan, asked the students to “please stay in touch with us and let us know what’s going on with your lives. We will be very proud to have met you when you were in high school.”
Team Amity 7 Chakras Investments placed 2nd with their disciplined investment strategy rooted in the seven “chakras.” Captain Aarav Patel ‘24 said, “I was in awe when they announced the results. I am very proud of how far we have come since starting the club two years ago.”
Eydan Lavi ‘24 said, “It was a once in a lifetime experience. Seeing the countless hours of work we put in throughout the competition culminating in a second place victory made the experience all the more special!”
The club advisor, Mr. Ranani, said “I am honored to have witnessed their growth, resilience, and exceptional performance against teams from all over the world. This accomplishment is a testament to their potential and the bright futures that lie ahead for each member of the team.”
The team took home a second place and finalist trophy, which they presented to Principal Hauser back at Amity. They hope opportunities like this can encourage students to take hold of their financial futures.
