Texas State Enactus chapter brings home third national championship
Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
April 11, 2014
The Entrepreneurial Action Us (Enactus) chapter at Texas State University has been named national champions at the 2014 Enactus U.S. National Exposition held in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Texas State Enactus team won out from a field of regional champion teams representing 233 colleges and universities. Texas State advances to represent the United States at the 2014 Enactus World Cup, Oct. 22-24, in Beijing, China.
This marks the third national title for the Texas State Enactus team, which previously won top honors in 2000 and 2011. Additionally, the 2000 team went on to win the international championship.
Roberts Wesleyan of Rochester, NY, finished second; Heritage University of Toppenish, Wash., finished third; and Belmont University of Nashville, Tenn., finished fourth.
Mykayla Goodwin and Greg Souquette served as presentation team co-captains, and presentation team members were Logan Matson, Chelsea Watkins, Stephen Myers and Madison Nye. Also in attendance were Ali Ijaz, Enactus chapter president, Zach Goss, past president and student fellow, Chelsea Watkins, president-elect, and executive committee members Seth Bleiler, Tyler Hammond, Matt Wyatt, Whitney Stone, Jordan Williams and Regan Wiesner.
The free enterprise projects presented during the competition must meet the Enactus international criteria, which focuses on three core elements: profits, people and planet. For a project or initiative to truly be effective and sustainable, it must make sense economically as well as socially and environmentally.
The Texas State Enactus team has presented more than 50 projects and, in 2014, showcased four projects, including the Mobile Loaves and Fishes Project to help homeless people earn a living; Budget Infographics to help mayors, city councils and citizens have a simple way to view their city budgets; JOB HELP, a customized web site with live action tutorial videos taught at four locations and involving 300 employers and many job seekers; and ROW, a marketing and technology company, which has 13 employees and is now grossing $100,000 annually. Current Enactus President Ijaz started the company.
The Texas State Enactus team is one of the largest teams in the United States with approximately 140 new students each year, and more than 80 volunteer officers. The Texas State team has placed in the top 20 teams in the United States 15 of the past 17 years. Their entrepreneurial projects range from helping local and global entrepreneurs to participating in educational legacy projects.
Enactus is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. Previously known as Students in Free Enterprise, the organization changed its name to Enactus in 2012 to reaffirm its long-standing commitment to using entrepreneurial action as a catalyst for progress.
For more information, contact Vicki West, Sam Walton Fellow in Free Enterprise, at vw03@txstate.edu or (512) 245-3224.