Twenty-five student teams from colleges and universities across Ontario put their skills to the test in a pressure-cooker HR competition, but Niagara College proved it could not be beat.
On March 22, NC won first place at the 2025 Student Case Competition, hosted by the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA). The winning team was comprised of four, third-year students in the Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (Human Resources) degree program: Aiden Clarke, Chau Dao, Ella Leo and Stacey Reist.
"Congratulations to Aiden, Chau, Ella, and Stacey for bringing this prestigious title home to NC. We are incredibly proud of our students' achievement at the HRPA Student Case Competition. Their success highlights the quality of our Human Resources programs and expertise at Niagara College, along with our commitment to fostering the next generation of HR professionals,” said Dean of Business and Environment, Evan DiValentino.
“Special thanks to Professors Susan Ehlert and Terri Champion, as well as Stephanie Babin from our Program Advisory Committee. Their support and guidance were instrumental."
Nicolette Holness, HRPA Early Career Specialist, noted that the sixth annual Student Case Competition showcased the exceptional talent and dedication of Ontario's emerging HR professionals. With 25 teams and 115 students participating, she called this year's competition their “most competitive and inspiring to date.” Following NC in first place, King’s University College at Western placed second, and Durham College placed third.
“Niagara College distinguished themselves through their innovative approach, strategic insight and exemplary collaboration. Their ability to tackle complex HR challenges with creativity and professionalism truly set them apart,” said Holness. “Congratulations to all participants for your remarkable efforts and for exemplifying the future of human resources excellence.”
Students were tasked with solving real-life business and HR challenges during the two-round virtual competition. On March 14 , teams received an HR business case and had a few hours to analyze it, develop a strategy, and prepare a 15-minute presentation outlining their recommendations before a panel of judges, made up of senior HR professionals. Top teams advanced to the second round, held on March 22, where they presented their refined strategies to compete for first, second, and third-place prizes.
NC’s team was coached by HR Professor and Program Coordinator Susan Ehlert, PhD, who noted students were selected to compete in this competition based on their case analysis presentations and individual performances during an in-class internal case competition – part of their Human Resources Planning course.
"Our official HRPA Case Competition team's combination of creative ideation, strategic thinking, outstanding presentation skills, and ability to apply a strong case analysis structure was the ‘secret sauce’ that led to their first-place win,” said Ehlert. “I am so proud of the grace and professionalism they demonstrated as they faced up against a competitive playing field of teams from across Ontario universities and colleges. I think their success is a testament to the quality of the Human Resources Management business programs we offer here at Niagara College.”
Leo (Hamilton) appreciated the mentorship they received as students in preparation for the competition and noted that winning was a welcome boost of confidence as they are poised to complete their third year of study.
“It was awesome to see our name up there and to see how we compare, it helps us feel really confident in our decision that we picked NC and we were able to beat 24 other schools,” said Leo.
“Winning was exciting, and it definitely makes us feel proud,” said Reist (St. George). “Competing helped with our presenting skills and quick thinking. We gained a lot of new knowledge, even just talking with our team members and our class.”
Clarke (Thorold) noted that he didn’t realize the magnitude of the team’s accomplishment until he started receiving an influx of congratulatory messages. “It makes me feel pretty good to know we won,” he said. “I gained some great skills through the experience: teamwork, working under pressure, being able to communicate effectively, and to be efficient in my thought processes.”
“My team and I are still in shock about winning this competition. We couldn’t believe that we made it,” said Dao, an international student from Vietnam. “This is meaningful for me; not only the award but the great experience I had. Our team worked really well together.”
In addition to earning bragging rights after claiming the HRPA title for this year’s Student Case Competition, each student on the first-place team will receive a $200 gift card from HRPA. Prizes will be awarded to the students at a School of Business award ceremony to be held in early April.
Students in the Bachelor of Business Administration (Human Resources) degree program not only benefit from expertise of its faculty, but its Program Advisory Committee who are professionals in the industry. PAC member Stephanie Babin, Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition & Development at Henry Schein Canada, (who graduated from the College’s Human Resources Management program in 2011), was a judge and provided feedback to the students.
Ehlert offered special thanks to Terri Champion, NC Marketing Professor, and Stephanie Babin, Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition & Development of Henry Shein Canada, who volunteered as judges for the Internal Case Competition.
“We appreciate the time they gave to attend the Internal Case Competition and the valuable feedback they provided our students that assisted in preparation for the HRPA Case Competition event."
Students from diploma, undergraduate degree, master’s degree and postgraduate degree programs alike were eligible to compete in the HRPA 2025 Student Case Competition. The event drew university teams from Algoma, Carleton, Kings Western University, Laurentian, Nipissing, Queen’s, Trent, Toronto Metropolitan, U of Toronto, U of Waterloo, U of Windsor, and York; as well as college teams from Algonquin, Cambrian, Canadore, Conestoga, Centennial, Fanshawe, Durham, George Brown, Durham, Lambton, Sheridan, and St. Lawrence. Visit the HRPA website here.
NC currently offers Business Administration – Human Resources (Co-op), a three- year advanced diploma program; and Human Resources Management a one-year graduate certificate program.
Niagara College has a full-time enrolment of more than 10,000 students from over 95 countries, who study in 130 diploma, certificate and bachelor degree programs at specialized campuses in Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Niagara College is also involved in educational projects and partnerships around the world and is consistently ranked among Canada’s top 10 colleges for research funding. Learn more at niagaracollege.ca.