The Andrews University Enactus Team will be attending the Enactus National Competition taking place March 31–April 3 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Enactus is an international nonprofit organization comprised of a community of student, academic and business leaders who use the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world by improving the quality of life and standard of living for people in need. There are currently Enactus teams represented throughout 1,600 universities in 36 countries with 66,500 students involved and more than 7,400,000 project volunteer hours completed.

“Enactus provides Andrews students with an incredible opportunity to take the skills that we learn in the classroom and use them to better our community,” says senior Jason Shockey, president of the Andrews Enactus Team. “The National Competition gives us the chance to present our projects to national leaders in the world of business.”

The Andrews Enactus Team is involved in roughly six community projects a year. This year, the projects include running a recycling program on campus, conducting nutritional classes for third graders at Ruth Murdoch Elementary School, helping with the Berrien Springs High School Business Bash, conducting several “Let’s Can Hunger” food drives, holding financial seminars for those in the community and painting more than 200 faces at the Berrien Springs downtown “Kindle Your Christmas Spirit” event.

The Enactus National Competition welcomes schools from across the country whose students come to compete by presenting on the projects they have completed throughout the year. The students present to a group of executives from more than 400 companies around the United States, such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, Hershey’s, Johnson & Johnson, American Greetings and Wells Fargo. The competition includes several rounds that advance toward becoming the United States National Champion. The winner will move on to the Enactus World Cup, which will be held in Beijing, China.

Besides competing, students will have the chance to connect with peers and attend a career fair. Students will have the opportunity to talk with companies looking for Enactus participants to work for them, hand out résumés and, in some cases, be interviewed. These companies recognize Enactus students as ones who understand the importance of community involvement, who have good time management skills and who can work well under pressure.

“Enactus instills a passion in students for both the Enactus organization and for becoming involved in the community that doesn’t stop once they graduate but continues on throughout life,” says Jacquelyn Warwick, professor of marketing and club sponsor, “Enactus students are more self-confident, have a stronger résumé and are better prepared to enter the job market.”