Enactus, formally known as SIFE, is about empowering its students and the community. Enactus, which is a word formed from the ideas Entrepreneurial, Action, and Us, was an international rebrand because the focus of Enactus, according to Advisor Jean Walker, is more toward the entrepreneurial side of free enterprise.

“Entacus better embodies what we are all about,” Walker said.

Empowering the community is an important part of what Enactus does. Walker said one of the first Enactus members at WT, David Terry, defines entrepreneurial as treating something like you own it and being creative and innovative.

Enactus has taken this idea and turned it to the community. Almost every night of the week, Enactus members of all majors and classifications, are involved in empowering the community through various service projects, including tutoring adults to help them receive their GEDs. The philosophy “give a man a fish and he eats for a day—teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime” is a major motto according to the Enactus webpage on the WT website.

“We aren’t just about community service,” Walker said. “[Enactus] is about working with a group of people to empower themselves.”

Brittany Smith the co-president of Enactus and a Masters of Business Administration Management student, has been involved since fall of last year. Her job as president is to coordinate all the service projects.

“You get to see people who can’t give you anything in return,” Smith said. “[It] makes me realize how blessed I am.”

All of these projects lead up to the big competition in April in Cincinnati, Ohio. Enactus will take a team of 50 people out of the 100 members to compete for their two time championship spot in the top 20. At this competition, Enactus will join nearly 600 teams from all over the country. Up to eight members of Enactus will then have the opportunity to go in front of a crowd of sponsors and represent WT in a 25-minute visual and Q&A.

Not only does Enactus offer a chance for competition, but also for networking. Caity Kenny, a senior International Business major, who has been to the competition and has been an active member for two years, received the opportunity to intern for her current employer, Mondelez International.

“It’s incredible,” Kenny said. “It’s nice to know that we are learning and giving back at the same time.”

For more information about joining the Enactus Team, contact Jean Walker at
(806) 651-2515.