Babson Team Wins Local CFA Institute Research Challenge

Listen

Babson College won CFA Society Boston’s local research challenge for the fourth time in the past six years. The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition in which students—with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and professional ethics—gain real-world experience as they assume the role of research analysts. They are judged by a group of industry experts on their ability to value a stock, write a research report, and present their recommendations.

The Babson team poses for a group photo
Babson’s winning team (from left): Ryan Watts ’23, Sophia Knopp ’22, Aditya Agarwal ’22, and Gabriel Papa ’23

Sponsored by the Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance, the team was comprised of undergraduate students Aditya Agarwal ’22, Sophia Knopp ’22, Gabriel Papa ’23, and Ryan Watts ’23, who also are all members of the Babson College Fund. The team was supported by faculty advisor Patrick Gregory and industry mentor David Wellinghoff MBA’07.

The Babson team now advances to the regional competition, where the students will compete against the top teams in North and South America in April. Babson has an impressive track record, including winning the local competition in 2017, 2019, and 2021, and winning the global competition in 2007.

Posted in Babson Briefs

More from Babson Briefs »

Latest Stories

Wearing Babson-branded hard hats, nine people gather to break ground ceremonially
Babson Breaks Ground on New Executive Lodge and Conference Center Babson College trustees, leaders, and dignitaries celebrated the beginning of construction of the new Executive Lodge and Conference Center with a formal groundbreaking ceremony last week.
By
October 28, 2025

Posted in Community

Composite of four headshots of the new trustees
Four New Members Join the Babson Board of Trustees Rebecca Shaghalian Larkin ’91, Shikhar Malhotra ’04, Sheikha Al-Otaibi ’25, and Patty Pytlik ’11, MBA’25 have been elected to the Babson Board of Trustees.
By
October 27, 2025

Posted in Community

Babson students learning financial literacy.
The Credit Habit: Babson Finance Students on Gen Z’s Growing Reliance on 'Buy Now, Pay Later' From Coachella tickets to Taco Bell, "Buy Now, Pay Later" is a growing generational habit. Babson’s financiers of the future warn that without financial literacy, it can turn into costly dependence.
By
Hillary Chabot
Writer
Hillary Chabot
Hillary Chabot is a writer for Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. An award-winning journalist, she is known for her insightful reporting and dedication to detailed storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has covered a wide range of topics, from presidential campaigns and government policy to neighborhood issues and investigative series. As a reporter for The Boston Herald, Hillary earned a reputation for tenacity and integrity. Her work at Babson College fuels her passions—to learn something new every day and conduct thoughtful, empathic interviews. She’s thrilled to be at Babson College, where students, faculty, staff members and classes provide compelling copy daily.
October 24, 2025

Posted in Insights