For the first time, a Hungarian team has won the High School Business Challenge, organized by the European Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development for the ninth time – reports Világgazdaság.
The international final of the largest business competition for high school students in Central and Eastern Europe was held in Warsaw at the beginning of July.
The trio of student ambassadors: Bence Nagy, Ákos Hidasi, and Benedek Takács, came out on top at the end of the tough business competition lasting several days.
The curiously named Trois Cent Soixante Croissants team has been doing well in financial and entrepreneurial competitions in Hungary for years, but this year’s international success sets them apart from an increasingly large and strong domestic field.
The national semi-finals of the High School Business Challenge were now held in English. The participants faced real business challenges in four rounds, reported the Money Compass Foundation (Pénziránytű Alapítvány).
Following the first three national rounds, the best teams met in the international final at the Polish Prime Minister’s Chancellery, where the Hungarian team emerged victorious after several days of tough competition.
The winners, – this year’s graduates of the Balassi Bálint Upper Elementary and High School in Budapest (Budapesti Balassi Bálint Nyolcévfolyamos Gimnázium) – were prepared by their teacher, Magdolna Figura. The Hungarian team members have been interested in finance and business since the fifth grade.
The students say that the secret of their success lies in their teamwork, creativity, and commitment, in addition to their previous competitive experience.
Their teacher Magdolna Figura stressed:
the teacher should be a mentor in the joint work, where the initial sharing of knowledge by the teacher should be replaced over time by support, encouragement, and problem-solving.
The Money Compass Foundation was set up in September 2008, to develop and implement financial awareness programs in partnership with NGOs and market players. Its founders are the Student Loan Center, the Hungarian Banking Association, and the Hungarian National Bank.
Featured image: Facebook/Pénziránytű Alapítvány