As a practicing Muslim, Arizona State University student Mohammad Awwal has sometimes found it uncomfortable to incorporate his faith at work. “Muslims pray every day, even during work hours. So for me, in an environment where it’s kind of taboo to talk about your faith, when I need to take maybe a couple of minutes off to have my prayer, then it becomes a very discomforting experience,” he explains. His situation has made competing in the 2025 Faith and Belief at Work MBA Case Competition not just a theoretical discussion but a personal reality.
This year’s competition, which was cohosted by the BYU Marriott School of Business and BYU’s Wheatley Institute, connected 15 US teams from 14 states and a team from Spain (the first international team to ever compete in the event). Ryan Ruth, a BYU Marriott MBA student from Pocatello, Idaho, and member of the event’s student organizing committee, explained, “The overall theme of the whole competition is being more aware of each other and each other’s beliefs and learning that we can interact with each other in positive ways, no matter what differences we might have.”
One way students learned about the complex topic was by wrestling with a realistic case: Teams were given roughly 24 hours to craft a solution for a fictional company trying to cut costs and measure the effectiveness of its interfaith employee resource group to see if it merited further funding.
“This case is a real issue that real companies are struggling with, and you’re here to solve real problems,” Paul Lambert, religion initiative director of the Wheately Institute, told participants.
For their work presenting innovative business solutions, four individual presenter awards and three team prizes were given: Carlson School of Management from University of Minnesota took first place, with Graziadio Business School at Pepperdine University coming in second and Mays Business School at Texas A&M University winning third.
But students weren’t just given the chance to write up a business solution for supporting faith at work— they had the opportunity to develop their own connections with members from other faith communities.
“The diversity of faith has been really impressive and eye opening to us,” said Carson Thrift, a participant from Arizona State University and winner of an individual presenter award. Thrift found his teammate Awwal’s dedication to his faith and prayers throughout the competition incredibly inspiring. “It’s not often that people feel comfortable enough to share their faith in professional settings. But it really helps when you’re in the company of people who are in tune with their faith enough to pray in front of others and not be afraid to share some of their customs.”
The event’s emphasis on accepting and learning from others is already impacting how students plan to interact with faith in professional settings. David Buskirk, a member of the Oklahoma State University team, expressed that because of the competition, he wants to be more aware of how he talks to others and to be bolder in asking about others’ faith experiences. “I was never really conscious of how people of different religions interact in the workplace, because most of the places I’ve been haven’t really emphasized it as much,” he explained. “I’ll definitely remember the prayers from different people, from different religions, toward their god—that was really interesting to hear—and just try to be reverent toward it.”
Samantha Loveland, a student organizer from Alpine, Utah, described how her passion for the competition actually stemmed from several experiences where others were deeply accepting of her faith. Loveland reflected, “I hope that what people take away from this event is this idea that I can not only show up to work as me but I can also show up as me and be fully accepted—and I know how to help other people show up as themselves as well.”
Speakers emphasized that openness about faith doesn’t just lead to better interpersonal connections; it also allows employees to fully engage in their work. Brigitte Madrian, dean of BYU Marriott and one of the event’s closing speakers, shared her hope that the professional world will acknowledge how faith is a driving factor behind an individual’s work ethic, integrity, and desire to serve. She added, “I hope that you will leave this event inspired to go back and make a difference in your sphere of influence, helping people of all faiths feel included, helping workplaces in this country and around the world be more inclusive of individuals and their desire to live and express their religion in their day-to-day lives."
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Written by Katie Brimhall