USC B.S. Accountancy students with their crowdsourcing app, FindMi, were declared as champions during the Philippine Elimination Round of the ASEAN Future Sustainable Leaders 2021 case competition.

The team, composed of Joyce J. Agot, Trisha Mae G. Bahande, James Teodoro E. Monsanto, and Steven Jeremy C. Tan (see photo), aims to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 9 (SDG 9), Infrastructure, Industrialization, and Innovation. Their case study focused on uplifting consumers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines. 

Bahande stated that local vendors were not getting as many customers as before, while food delivery applications have had much success in digitizing their services. She said that big companies have been able to establish a stronger digital presence during the pandemic, something that has helped them continue to thrive. It’s a different story, however, for local vendors.

“What we wanted to do was to help these small-scale enterprises and street vendors to become resilient and digitally present through FindMI. If we want to have sustainable economic growth at a wider scale, we have to focus first on our grassroots, our microenterprises and street vendors, since they are the most vulnerable,” Monsanto added. 

When asked to give a message to the USC community, Agot shared about the importance of curiosity. “Never stop learning about the world and never stop pursuing your curiosity. Everything is in constant motion and there are things we have to experience ourselves, beyond the classroom. If you’re up for a challenge, embrace it in full and learn how to navigate through both the good and bad—that’s how we learn from experience. Don’t forget to have fun in whatever journey you’re embarking on.” 

The competition was organized by the National Association of CPAs in Education (nACPAE) in partnership with RG Manabat & Co., KPMG. The Carolinian team, along with the first and second runners-up, will be representing the Philippines in the ASEAN Region final round this December competing against the representatives from other ASEAN countries.

Find out more about their case study through this link: https://www.facebook.com/1449910860/videos/1923838841121862/

by Therese Lorelei M. Lapitan