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Three University of North Georgia (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) students teamed up to place second out of nine schools in the portfolio-building competition at the Student Management Investment Fund Consortium-South held recently in Orlando, Florida.

Casey Ammon, Raul Bolanos and Davis Zeigler are members of Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Student-Managed Investment Fund club. They earned a $500 check for their efforts in Â鶹ÊÓƵ's first appearance in the competition.

The Student-Managed Investment Fund allows students to gain real-world investment experience thanks to an infusion of $50,000 from four alumni. These students use Bloomberg Terminal software to help them determine where they will invest.

That Bloomberg Terminal experience was valuable in the competition in Orlando. Zeigler, a Big Canoe, Georgia, resident who earned a degree in finance in May, said the club and the event have been invaluable tools in his journey.

"I have learned so much more from those opportunities than any finance class I've taken here because of the real-world application," Zeigler said.

Ammon, a Cumming, Georgia, resident who also earned a degree in finance in May, said the mentorship of Dr. YoungHa Ki, assistant professor of finance in the Mike Cottrell College of Business and club adviser, has been critical for the students.

"We're really able to understand the foundations of this field and what it takes to find a good company and understand that there's a lot more to investing than putting your money into a company that you think is good," Ammon said. "All of that investment research and the time outside the classroom have really secured our foundation when it comes to finance as a career."

While the students are grateful for their success as newcomers to this type of competition, they are more excited for how it can motivate others.

"This sets the foundation for the future for the students to come," Bolanos, a Hull, Georgia, native who earned a degree in finance in May, said.