Members of Students in Free Enterprise spent spring break in Dallas – business-style.
Team members presented a number of outreach projects to a panel of judges at an annual regional competition, and returned to Baton Rouge with the championship trophy in hand.
This is the team’s sixth victory within the past six years. The team will head to the national competition in Chicago on May 13. SIFE clubs create community service projects to help people gain economic opportunities, as well as raise awareness about finance skills. More than 1,400 universities within 48 countries have an active SIFE organization. Richard Stahl, economics instructor and SIFE adviser, said the organization makes University students more marketable in the workforce for potential employers.         “A corporate sponsor will recruit a SIFE member before any other applicant,” Stahl said. “A resumé could be full of information, but a SIFE membership will distinguish the person.” The national competition includes a career fair that invites hundreds of companies, such as Wal-Mart, to pay for a spot. Some companies, such as Best Buy, specifically ask if an applicant is a SIFE member. “Many companies pay over $20,000 for a spot at the career fair,” said Rachel Baumy, marketing junior and SIFE treasurer. “They are very invested in recruiting SIFE members.” Baumy said their biggest project is Merit Badge Day where more than 300 Boy Scouts have an opportunity to do more than sell popcorn. “Merit Badge Day allows Boy Scouts to receive up to four badges in one day,” Baumy said. “We teach Boy Scouts, from Louisiana and Mississippi, a variety of topics from American business to personal management.” The most impressive project SIFE presented to the panel was their Happy Horizon Children Ranch program, Baumy said. This provides children in the Philippines an opportunity to obtain a high school education at a rural ranch. “We are creating lesson plans with PowerPoints and activities for the instructors at the ranch to implement,” Baumy said. “This allows the children to learn basic life skills they don’t learn in school, such as social skills and nutritional habits.” Baumy said students should be interested in joining SIFE to not only help the community, but also for hands-on experience in the business field.   “The convention solidified my opinion of SIFE,” said David Iseral, economics junior. “It was an opportunity to see how strong SIFE at LSU is compared to others in the region.”
—-Contact Emily Stuart at [email protected]