Dallas College Students Participate in Global $1 Million Virtual Stock Trading Challenge

Media Contact: ; Newsteam@dallascollege.edu

For immediate release — Oct. 13, 2026

DALLAS – In support of its commitment to be the educational arm of the growing North Texas financial ecosystem and the new Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE), collectively nicknamed “Y’all Street,” Dallas College is fielding 64 teams in the Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge, a worldwide contest in which students compete for the best outcomes by managing $1 million virtual portfolios.

The college’s participation, dubbed the Texas Ticker, is the flagship initiative within the college’s Y’all Street Market Experience, a broader strategy designed to connect students, industry partners and the community to real-world market activity through applied learning, professional tools, workshops and seminars focused on the financial sector.

The contest is conducted solely on Bloomberg Terminals. Dallas College has 32 terminals across five campuses and one community-based workforce center. Participants respond to real market conditions, track performance and make investment decisions in real time.

College leadership emphasizes the initiative’s value as a low-pressure, high-impact experiential learning opportunity that helps students build financial literacy, business skills and early exposure to Bloomberg technology used by colleges, universities and industry professionals.

“Students get hands-on practice making stock trades on equipment used by finance professionals,” said Associate Deputy Chancellor Kevin Wortley, who oversees the college’s Small Business Launch Pad. “This experience translates into career-ready skills that position participants ahead of their peers when they enter the workforce.”

North Texas has the second-highest number of finance jobs among U.S. metro areas, trailing only New York City, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Dallas College is positioning itself to train local workers for those jobs.

“As North Texas continues to grow as a financial center, the demand for professionals who understand financial markets continues to increase," said Dr. Darryl Williams, vice provost of the School of Business, Hospitality and Global Trade. "Experiences like the Global Trading Challenge help prepare our students to meet this demand.”

But Texas ranks 41st among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in WalletHub’s WalletLiteracy Survey, which measures consumers’ comprehension of day-to-day money management across financial categories. Concerns about financial literacy led to a state law that requires Texas high school students, beginning with the class of 2030, to complete a one-semester course on the topic.

“A lot of students I talk with are intimidated by the word investing,” said Eugene Kuan, senior manager of the Bloomberg program at Dallas College. “Whatever your major, you're going to earn a paycheck one day, and you'll want to know how to manage and invest it. The earlier you start, the more time your money has to grow. As a community college, we are in a unique position to teach those skills.”

Kuan, who previously practiced banking and finance law in Southeast Asia, competed in the Bloomberg Challenge as a student in 2024, when Dallas College fielded two teams. This year, the college has enrolled its maximum, two per terminal.

"I had a lot of fun with my teammates, figuring out who took on which role and talking through our ideas," said Kuan, whose team finished with a modest gain. "I hope this year's students get that experience, too."

The college’s 253 participants are divided into teams of three to five students and an advisor, with 47 teams from college campuses and 17 from dual credit programs with Dallas and Garland ISDs. Participants attended onboarding sessions in early October. The contest runs Oct. 12-Nov. 13, and winners will be announced Nov. 20.

Dallas College will hold a celebration for its top performing teams noon-2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20 at the Bill J. Priest Center. Officials will also sign the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship Pledge.

Dallas College’s Bloomburg Terminals are located in:

Bloomberg Finance and investment Labs

• Richland Campus (flagship lab)
• Mountain View Campus 
• El Centro Campus
• North Lake Campus
• Eastfield Campus

Dallas College Venture Club coworking space

• Bill J. Priest Center

For more information or to schedule a visit with participants, email NewsTeam@DallasCollege.edu.

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About Dallas College

Founded in 1965, Dallas College consists of seven campuses — Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake and Richland — plus a dozen centers located throughout Dallas County. As one of the largest community colleges in the U.S., Dallas College offers online and in-person learning, serving more than 133,000 credit, workforce and continuing education students annually. Students benefit from partnerships with local school districts, four-year universities, industry and community leaders. Dallas College offers associate degrees and career/technical certificate programs in more than 100 areas of study, as well as bachelor’s degrees in education, nursing, software development and management. As the largest provider of dual credit in Texas, Dallas College serves 30,000 high school students through 64 dual credit programs.

 

About Dallas College Small Business Launch Pad
Dallas College Small Business Launch Pad connects entrepreneurs with advising, training, coworking and growth programs to launch and grow successful businesses. From classroom learning to business advising, coworking spaces and national growth programs, the launch pad connects small business owners, entrepreneurs and founders with the tools and people they need to succeed. It encompasses the North Texas Small Business Development Center, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, Ascend Institute, Franchising Center, Academic Entrepreneurship Programs and Dallas College Venture Club.

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