Robinson Team Wins MBA Exclusive Case Competition

ATLANTA — A team composed of MBA students Meghann Ashey, Jesse Calixte, Alaya Mack, and MBA/JD student Courtney-Simone Graves won the 2026 MBA Exclusive Case Competition held in February at the Howard University School of Business in Washington, DC. Their victory was made all the sweeter with a $10,000 scholarship prize.

Ashey, Calixte, Graves, and Mack outperformed 10 teams from top U.S. business programs with their proposed wealth management and acquisition plan for a young founder who recently exited their first venture and was preparing to launch an entrepreneurship-through-acquisition strategy.

Teams had 10 days to analyze the case, formulate recommendations, and prepare their presentation. Ashey, Calixte, Graves, and Mack did so under the leadership of Ashok Vairavan, D.B.A., of the Department of Management and Jermaine Clarke, Ed.D., of Graduate Student Engagement.

The student team tackled the challenge within the framework of the college’s proprietary Case Prep Academy, a structured program comprising targeted modules, experiential learning sessions, and mock presentations, coached and mentored by faculty and staff.

Clarke developed Case Prep Academy, now in its second year, to equip students with critical skills in strategy, problem-solving, teamwork, and executive communication. “Case Prep Academy builds competitive readiness, fosters leadership, confidence, and career preparedness,” he said.

Ashey, Calixte, Graves, and Mack had already demonstrated their competitive chops by being selected for Case Prep Academy’s Delta Cohort, comprising five student teams competing in case challenges during the spring 2026 semester. [See “Case Prep Academy Helps Delta Cohort Rise to the Challenge.”]

“The preparation for this competition pushed me to see what I was made of,” said team captain Meghann Ashey, adding that “one of the greatest takeaways of this experience was seeing the power of a phenomenal team.”

Recalling the impact of the team’s advance work, Courtney-Simone Graves said that “When we walked into that competition room in Washington, D.C., we weren't just prepared analytically; we were prepared as a unit. Dr. Vairavan and Dr. Clarke had made sure of that. First place is the result of that collective investment, and this finish is a foundation, not a finish line. I'm proud of what we built as a team, and what our futures hold as business leaders and Robinson alumni.”

Jesse Calixte was “proud to represent Georgia State on a national stage and bring the prize back to Atlanta,” adding that he was “grateful for my teammates, the Case Prep Academy team, and our coaches,” who accompanied the team to Howard University for the MBA Exclusive competition.

“This was truly an experience like no other,” said Alaya Mack. “Thank you to Jermaine Clarke and Ashok Vairavan for guiding us throughout this extraordinary experience!”

Clarke attributed the win to “the power of preparation, partnership, and a shared commitment to developing future business leaders,” and Vairavan’s impact as faculty advisor. “Ashok consistently challenged the team to think deeper, refine their analysis, and elevate the quality of their solution. His guidance pushed them beyond surface-level responses and ultimately strengthened their final deliverable in a way that made a meaningful and measurable difference.”

As for Vairavan, he described the team’s championship performance as an instance of “iron sharpening iron.”

Learn more about the MBA program at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business at https://robinson.gsu.edu/program/mba/.

Photo: Jermaine Clarke, Alaya Mack, Jesse Calixte, Meghann Ashey, Courtney-Simone Graves, Ashok Vairavan