Written by Davidson College student, Brooke Roumy ’27
When Cillian Hallinan ’28, Daulet Berdikulov ’28, Matias Mourao Pacheco ’28, and Sharon Song ’28 saw the Management Consulted Undergraduate Case Competition World Cup, the Waymo Challenge on LinkedIn, they saw an opportunity. As Cillian put it, “None of them expected first place, but we just put our best foot forward.” Without their talent and the help of the Davidson College community, they wouldn’t have been able to turn this opportunity into a monumental personal and professional success. The competition brings together 247 teams from 133 prestigious universities. After team calls across time zones, hours of case preparation, and endless studying of past competitions, these Davidson College students came together during winter break from all around the world calling themselves Cross Continental Consulting, and earned first place in the competition and everything that comes with it.
About Cross Continental Consulting
Cross Continental Consulting came together after friends turned their shared interest in consulting into action. The team had a variety of different skills and strengths embodying a true liberal arts education. Daulet focused on the data, Matias handled the finances, Sharon led the story telling, and Cillian managed the math and overall strategy. Together these strengths complemented each other and allowed them to turn a complex problem into a clear and simple solution. While other teams overcomplicated their analysis, Cross Continental Consulting focused on making their solution concise, structured, and easy to understand. Where other teams delivered reports, Cross Continental Consulting delivered a story and they credit that instinct for narrative, human context, and communication to their liberal arts education.
“A lot of the reason we were successful was the competition valued skills that a liberal arts education builds. It wasn’t a competition about who can give the most complex, over the top answer, it was really about who can tell the story the best and concise and nail the most important aspects and that is very liberal arts to me.” – Cillian Hallinan ’28
The Hurt Hub@Davidson
A huge part of their success came also from their experiences at the Hurt Hub@Davidson. Three of the four team members are Student Consultants for the Davidson College Consulting Group based out of the Hurt Hub where they work with companies to solve real world problems. Cillian and Daulet bring experience crafting pitch decks through their work with the Avinger Impact Fund and Nisbet Venture Fund. These opportunities gave them experience with presenting professional pitch decks and thinking like real consultants before the competition even started. Once they began, feedback from Amy Tirpak, Consulting Operations Manager at the Hurt Hub, was incredibly helpful in refining their final deliverable.
“I would like to give appreciation to the Hurt Hub. They were incredibly supportive and also in terms of the project experience they provide students is incredibly helpful.” – Matias Mourao Pacheco ’28
Davidson College
Davidson’s liberal arts approach gave them an edge against the typical business student in the competition. Because the competition was school anonymous, the judges didn’t know which school each team was from, the win was purely on their ability to think critically and communicate well, aligning well with skills they have learned at Davidson. With the help from Davidson College alumni and the Hurt Hub staff they were able to get feedback from more than ten people. According to Cillian, “A lot of what made the final presentations successful was feedback and guidance from a ton of people. So it wasn’t just us representing ourselves but also all the advice and feedback we got from ten plus people.” Proving that their win was a team effort from the entire Davidson College community.
“Davidson College’s liberal arts education has taught me to sit with open-ended problems and think critically towards a solution, which is what this competition demanded” – Sharon Song ’28
What is Next
Winning the Waymo Competition has opened many doors and influenced their next career decisions. They’ve met industry professionals along the way and are using the victory to help land internships in fields like venture capital and consulting. They were also able to connect with the author of Case in Point, Marc Cosentino, who gave a workshop for the Pre-Consulting Society. This win has given direction to their career paths and is a testament to the power of a Davidson College liberal arts education in the professional world.
The team hopes their victory inspires more Davidson students to get involved with case competitions, and believes it is not limited to those interested in consulting. The skills they have learned including hypothesis testing, public speaking, and market research, are transferable to any industry, not just consulting. As they prepare for their next steps, the members of the Cross Continental Consulting are grateful to the Davidson College community and the Hurt Hub for helping them turn this interest into a powerful win.
“It’s always good to just try, we didn’t expect to win” – Daulet Berdikulov ’28
