Falcons claim CEO Titan crown

Winners pose with certificates, their teacher, a JA rep and the CDTA CEO

Two Albany High School seniors beat out 100 students from four area high schools to win the 2024 JA Titan CEO Challenge.

Oliver Alvarez and Padraig LeBuis, students in Christopher Austen’s college-level Business Concepts and Applications class, took part in the challenge, where they acted as CEOs of a fictitious phone company in a virtual competition.

On Thursday, representatives from Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York visited Austen’s class and presented each winner with a certificate. They were joined by CDTA CEO Carm Basile, who served as their mentor during the contest.

During the CEO Challenge, students learned how to predict and identify various trade-offs based on business decisions; use a budget to monitor income, expenses, and other financial records; describe why research, development and marketing expenses are investments; and analyze how a company demonstrates corporate social responsibility.

Alvarez and LeBuis are now eligible to compete in the JA Titan National Competition.