Trulaske sends team to Deloitte FanTAXtic National Competition in Texas

A team of Trulaske accountancy students competed in the Deloitte National FanTAXtic Case Competition, with one team earning an Honorable Mention Award for their presentation. This year’s competition began with 250 students from more than 40 colleges and universities and culminated in 60 students representing 16 university teams at the national competition, held at Deloitte University in Westlake, Texas. Mizzou was one of just two universities to have more than one team qualify for the national competition after a successful showing in the regional competition in October 2021.

Reid Zimmermann, Luke Distler, Lacy Schoneboom and Madeline Meystrik earned the Honorable Mention Award. Deloitte awarded $250 scholarships to each student and $2,000 to the School of Accountancy to recognize the team’s performance. A second team from Trulaske qualified for the national competition, made up of students Kathryn Long, Delaney Miller, Vinnie Kuzava and Ruben Reyes, but was unable to travel.

"The Deloitte FanTAXtic case competition was such an awesome experience for me. It allowed me to build valuable relationships with other students, tax faculty, and various Deloitte professionals. The time spent traveling and working together resulted in a fun, enjoyable atmosphere and ultimately created lasting friendships," said Distler, a junior at Trulaske. "I also learned so many different aspects of tax research and considerations while trying to solve real-life business problems. The client-facing presentations allowed me to experience what a career in tax could look like.  Overall, the competition was a fun and rewarding way to get involved at Mizzou. If you are a business student, I would 120% recommend reaching out to Professor Hurley about it next fall!"

The team's faculty advisor, Tim Hurley, says this competition provides a unique look into a career in the tax field. "In essence, the competition takes a group of students, who are mostly unfamiliar with one another, teaches them about tax, a subject largely unfamiliar to them, and transforms them into a cohesive tax problem-solving team. This competition provides students with an opportunity to solve a complex 'real world' tax issue for a client and to present the solution to managers and partners of one of the largest accounting firms in the world, who pose as the client. It allows students an opportunity to develop skills in problem-solving, teamwork, and public speaking and allows them to see what a career in tax looks like," said Hurley.  

Sponsored by Deloitte Tax LLP and supported by the Deloitte Foundation, Deloitte FanTAXtic offers experiential learning that complements the classroom to help prepare the next generation of tax talent for a career in business and tax. The interactive program includes case simulation, role playing and presentations which provide students with insights and perspectives on challenges facing the profession today, future trends, and the overall changing business tax marketplace. Deloitte Tax LLP professionals participate in the event and offer the students support and guidance throughout the competition.