Enactus is an international organization that has created a global community of students, professors and business leaders. College and universities all over the world have Enactus teams, but last week, AU’s chapter of Enactus won their regional competition.
The regional Enactus competition was in Chicago, where they beat much larger schools in the process, including the University of Wisconsin Madison.
“There were 41 teams competing in six different leagues,” said Bailey Witt, senior marketing major and Enactus member. “Each team has to prepare a 17 minute presentation to share about the projects for the year in front of about 15-20 business leaders, usually from Fortune 500 companies, and it is followed by a five-minute question and answer session.”
The AU team presented projects that they had coordinated with The Onion Factory, the Paramount Theatre and Dove Harbor.
Now, with the regional championship behind them, the team will start their preparation for their next challenge—nationals.
“To prepare for nationals, our team is going to review the feedback from the judges at regionals,” said Witt. “We will make any necessary adjustments to our presentation script to make it easier to follow or more likely to grab the judges’ attention. We will wrap up our projects to make sure our clients are ready to move on without our help and continue to use the skills and tools we have provided them. Personally, I will be working on getting the word out about our regional win and raising funds for our trip to nationals by seeking donations from alumni.”
As far as the functions and goals that Enactus teams have, Witt said, “These teams use entrepreneurial action to create a better world for us all.”
“Teams engage in projects each year and present their impact and outcomes at a regional and national competition,” Witt continued. “The AU Enactus team typically does consulting projects for struggling for profit or non-profit organizations in Anderson,” Witt continued. “The goal of Enactus at AU is to empower businesses in Anderson to reach their
God-given potential.”
Much like many other groups and organizations on AU’s campus, Enactus offers not only practical experience for students that are interested in business-related fields, but also offers these same students of all walks of life the opportunity to interact with others and create long-lasting relationships through the organization.
“I’ve found the leadership experience most beneficial, as well as the relationships I’ve created with students and faculty,” said Victoria Shaw, a junior marketing major and president of Enactus. “It’s invigorating to see how our students are growing in their business skills and intuition while helping the Anderson community.
“We engage in consulting projects to help businesses that address social or economic issues, such as obesity, at-risk women or lack of music and arts exposure,” she continued. “Another goal of Enactus is to give students leadership and real-world business experience.”
When asked what he enjoys most about being a part of Enactus, Witt said: “I enjoy Enactus because it is a tight-knit group of very smart, driven individuals. We work well together and have a lot of fun. It is also a great way for me to gain leadership experience and learn how to run or sustain an organization.”
Witt also credited the faculty advisors for maximizing his experience in Enactus.
“The faculty advisors are very helpful but give us freedom to make decisions for ourselves and help us grow as professionals,” he said. “Lastly and most importantly, we are able to make an impact in the Anderson community. Even though my position does not allow me to be directly involved with any of the projects, it brings me much joy to see the efforts of our team making a difference.”
In regards to what she enjoys most about being involved with Enactus, president and junior marketing major Victoria Shaw said, “I love working with community organizations and having our AU students make a difference that counts. We don’t do one time workshops or clean ups—we try to install sustainable change such as fundraising and marketing assistance.”
“Enactus has been beneficial to me by helping me gain leadership experience and learn business skills. I have learned how to raise funds for a non-profit organization through sponsorship and donations. It has also helped me to conduct myself in a professional manner at the regional and national competitions.”