Baruch Students Compete on National Stage at Deloitte’s Premier Tax Challenge
February 23, 2026
Left to right: Santiago Patino, Jasmine Ye, Lauren Fang, and Nicole Tan represented Baruch College and were among 20 teams who advanced to the national final.
Baruch College students advanced to Deloitte’s 2026 FanTAXtic national case competition for the second consecutive year, representing the Zicklin School of Business.
Baruch was one of 20 teams to reach the national finals—held earlier this month at Deloitte University in Westlake, Texas—after outperforming eight teams from five universities at last fall’s regional competition.
Led by captain Jasmine Ye (’26), Baruch’s national team included Lauren Fang (’27), Nicole Tan (’28), and Santiago Patino (’28), all accounting majors. In a fiercely competitive field, they went up against UCLA (first place), Ohio State (second), Southern Illinois University (third), Brigham Young, Miami University, NYU, NC State, San Diego State, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
“This is a tremendous achievement for Baruch College,” said Donal Byard, Irving Weinstein Professorship in Accountancy Department Chair at the Zicklin School of Business. “A big ‘thank you’ to Professor Meisler and his tireless support of our students and the wonderful professionals at Deloitte who put this program together.”
FanTAXtic, Deloitte’s premier undergraduate tax competition, immerses students in complex, real-world tax scenarios. Over several months, 84 teams nationwide analyzed comprehensive cases, developed strategic recommendations, and presented their findings to Deloitte professionals.
‘Baruch Students Can Compete With Anyone’
Baruch’s second-place finish in the 2025 national competition sparked interest among students this year with more than 80 undergraduates applying, allowing Zicklin to form two regional teams.
Competing on the national stage, Ye called the experience deeply rewarding.
“Our team worked well together and performed strongly overall,” Ye stated. “One of the most important lessons I learned was how we collaborated under pressure and supported one another.”
She added that the competition offered valuable insight into client meetings and the day-to-day work of tax professionals, particularly how to respond thoughtfully to challenging questions.
Fang echoed those sentiments, noting that the experience strengthened her professional readiness.
“Participating in Deloitte’s FanTAXtic Case Competition gave me a clearer understanding of the real-world accounting profession and how firms such as the Big Four expect their professionals to respond to time-sensitive challenges and team-based problem solving,” Fang said.
Zicklin lecturer Michael Meisler, who coached the Baruch teams on the regional and national levels, expressed pride in their accomplishments.
“Their performance shows that Baruch students can compete with anyone.”
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