The University of Notre Dame proudly participated in the Annual Real Estate Challenge, hosted by the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation in Chicago on Saturday, April 5th.
Ashton Guo, Maria Aboujaoude, Chris Huang
Notre Dame was represented by two teams, one graduate and one undergraduate. The graduate team, advised by faculty member Ricardo Alvarez-Diaz and Executive Director Michael O’Malley, included MBA students Antanas Riskus, Mark Giesey, Josh Silvestri, and Ankit Vats. The undergraduate team, mentored by Ross Higginbotham, featured Ashton Guo, Retta Carroll, Chris Huang, Aidan Griffin, and Maria Aboujaoude.
This year’s competition brought together 25 top graduate and undergraduate teams from across the country to tackle a complex, high-profile redevelopment project in Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood. Teams were challenged to create a comprehensive and forward-thinking proposal focused on financial feasibility, sustainability, and community impact.
A distinguished panel of industry leaders judged the final presentations, awarding first, second, and third-place honors in both divisions. Scholarships of $7,500 were awarded to the winning teams.
We’re thrilled to share that Notre Dame’s graduate team earned first place. This marks the second consecutive year that a Notre Dame graduate team, representing the Mendoza College of Business and the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate, has taken home first-place honors.
Josh Silvestri, and Steven Weinstock
Congratulations to all of our students and faculty advisors for this remarkable accomplishment!
The Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to real estate education, professional mentorship, and gastrointestinal (GI) cancer research. To learn more about the Real Estate Challenge and the Foundation’s mission, visit www.eisenbergfoundation.org/real-estate-challenge.