By Jake Fain
Staff Writer
Ten members of Union’s Students In Free Enterprise group will attend the SIFE World Competition Sept. 27 -30 in Washington D.C., where they will watch SIFE teams compete with others from around the globe.
Before Union’s team can compete, it has to win a nationals competition. Nationals will be held in spring 2013 in Atlanta, Ga.
In Washington, Union’s SIFE group also will interact with business advisory board members who will instruct them on how to better accomplish group projects, interact more efficiently as a team and improve presentations.
Participants also can attend a job fair, where they can talk with potential employers.
SIFE members focus their projects on using the skills they learn while studying business, marketing, and public relations.
Sarah Hill, senior marketing major and psychology minor, is the group’s president. She has been involved with SIFE for three years.
“We’re able to help our community and the world, hopefully, through the business principles that we gain here at Union,” Hill said.
During the semester, the group works on projects that involve the Jackson community, such as promoting financial literacy in local businesses.
“When we visit places like the STAR Center, we don’t just hand over a lot of money. We actually show them better ways to use their funds,” Hill said. “It’s the same as teaching a man to fish so he’ll never go hungry.”
The team also visits middle schools and teaches children about supply and demand, a project called “World At Play.” Team members prompt the students to devise and present a toy designed for a specific culture.
The team is judged on the results of such projects during national and world competitions.
Elizabeth Fletcher, senior digital media studies major, said she joined SIFE to explore her options in the business world as well as to help others.
“It’s a good way to get started in a career, and I really like what SIFE does for community service,” Fletcher said. “It’s also a great way to get involved on campus.”
