The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Enactus team advanced to the Enactus United States National Exposition from the regional competition in Chicago, Ill., on April 12-13. The national competition will be held May 21-23 in Kansas City, Mo., at the Kansas City Convention Center. Formerly SIFE, Enactus is housed in the UNL College of Business Administration. Last year, SIFE did well at nationals, winning their league as well as being named the 2012 Walmart: Women’s Economic Empowerment Project Partnership.
The competition at nationals begins with each participating team being divided between 20 leagues. From the opening round, one finalist in each league advances to one of the four semi-final round leagues. The winning team from each of the four semi-final leagues qualifies for the final round of competition. A distinguished panel of top executives will review the presentations of these teams and ultimately choose the Enactus United States National Champion. This team will represent the United States at the Enactus World Cup where they compete against the national champion teams from approximately 38 other countries.
Members of the UNL team include: Seonmin (Rory) Bae, a senior marketing major from Busan, South Korea; Payton Canku, a junior sociology major from Flandreau, S.D.; Diksha Maurya, a freshman computer science major from Lincoln, Neb.; Stewart Montgomery, a sophomore accounting major from Woodstock, Ill.; Hannah Opfer, a sophomore international business major from Blair, Neb.; and Celia Schimelpfenig, a senior actuarial science major from Bloomington, Ill. The team is advised by UNL College of Business Administration Associate Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Assistant Professor of Practice in Management Sam Nelson and Rose Graves, staff secretary in the Center for Entrepreneurship.
The Enactus team rehearses their presentation at UNL
"The UNL Enactus team consists of a diverse group of very bright individuals from multiple colleges within UNL, yet they all share a passion to improve the world around them. The students leverage their intellect and volunteer their time to help individuals facing adversity in many parts of the world,” Nelson said. “Some of their projects include assisting families affected by cancer in the Lincoln area, working with struggling farmers in rural Nebraska and assisting victims of domestic abuse in Sri Lanka. Through these projects our students learn a great deal about themselves and the world in which they live. We are very proud of our team for their accomplishments."
Enactus stands for entrepreneurship, action, and us and is committed to empowering people in need. Projects range from educating people on concepts like market economics, entrepreneurship, and business ethics to creating an internship program for at-risk youth. Enactus uses the power of business to change how people perceive the world.
Published: May 20, 2013