Students pose with palm trees in the background.
Virginia Maurer Ethics awardee Katherine Bi-Ji, second from right.

Ethics case team captain receives award for commitment to ethics

Katherine Bi-Ji Katherine Bi-Ji (BA ’25, BS ’25, BS ’25) was named the 2023-2024 recipient of the Virginia Maurer Business Ethics Student of the Year award. She is the seventh recipient of this prestigious award.

The Virginia Maurer Business Ethics Student of the Year award honors students of the University of Florida Warrington College of Business who have demonstrated a commitment to the role of ethics in business, as evidenced by academic excellence, leadership, personal integrity and civic engagement.

“Receiving this award is truly an honor, and I am incredibly grateful for this recognition,” she said. “I am humbled by the opportunity to work alongside such talented teammates and under the inspiring mentorship of Dr. Ray. Their guidance and support have been invaluable in shaping me into the person I am today.”

Currently hailing from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Bi-Ji is making the most out of her time at the University of Florida by earning her undergraduate degrees in economics, mathematics and statistics. Though she has always enjoyed learning about ethical practices and studying moral philosophy, Bi-Ji became especially interested during a course on ethics in global business. The curriculum enabled her to explore the ethical dilemmas found in global business environments, and her participation in the course exercises led to her involvement with the Ethics Case Competition Team, which she led as captain this year.

“Katherine is one of the most talented students I have worked with, both in terms of leadership ability and academic accomplishment,” said Dr. Brian Ray, director of the Poe Business Ethics Center and instructional professor of Leadership and Ethics. “Warrington’s Ethics Case Competition Team has thrived during Katherine’s tenure as captain. No previous ethics case team has ever had more top-three finishes.

Students pose under Eller poster. “Katherine’s tremendous leadership is unquestionably the key component of this year’s unprecedented ‘Top 10’ finish in the national ethics bowl. Her legacy of success and high ethical standards will be felt for years to come.”

After wrapping up her term as captain on the ethics team, Bi-Ji will spend the summer studying art history in Peru with her fellow John V. Lombardi and Stamps Scholars and pursuing her second internship in investment banking in New York City. In the fall, she intends to return to the ethics team for her fourth year to continue building the technical and interpersonal skills that will elevate her career in business.

“This award is not simply a reflection of my efforts, but a testament to the collective dedication and commitment of the team as a whole,” she said. “Go Gators, go ethics!”

Virginia Maurer is the founding director of the Poe Business Ethics Center and served as a Professor of Business Law and Legal Studies. With over 35 years of distinguished research and teaching at the University of Florida, Professor Maurer also served as a visiting faculty member at some of the most prestigious institutions in the world, such as Cambridge University, the Helsinki School of Economics and Business, the University of Michigan and the Institute for Advanced Legal Studies at the University of London.