Joining Enactus class

CALLING ALL CHANGERS

Students in Enactus create projects focusing on social entrepreneurship to improve lives on a global scale, says faculty advisor and professor

BY ELLE LARSON

Pattica San said he loves to be part of Enactus because he feels blessed to have the opportunity to help the people back home who struggle in poverty, which he was able to escape. “I used to be poor. I used to sleep on the street and eat rats and insects. So, I understand the feeling of wanting to live like normal people.”

San, a senior from Cambodia majoring in business management with concentrations in finance, supply chain, operations and analytics, competed with the BYU–Hawaii Enactus team the three years the team won nationals. He said he originally planned to study political science to help his country politically, but through his experience in Enactus, he knew he could contribute in more meaningful ways as an entrepreneur.

“I can help my country through opening up different small businesses that all these poor people can benefit from,” he explained.

He said he loved listening to the innovative ideas his competitors at the Enactus competitions presented. “Listening to them inspired me. I thought, ‘Yes. This is what I want to do in my life.’ I want to do projects that are innovative that can benefit poor people, help them increase their income and improve their living standard.”

Lehonti Ovalle, a senior from Guatemala majoring in business management–economics, said, “You don’t have to wait until you graduate to do something good in the world. You can start today.”

What matters most

A part of BYU–Hawaii’s Enactus group, Ovalle works as a project manager for his Rice Up Guatemala team, where they empower Guatemalan farmers to practice efficient business and farming techniques.

Paul Wilson, BYUH Enactus primary faculty advisor and assistant professor in the Faculty of Business & Government, explained Enactus is a global organization that focuses on social entrepreneurship within universities.

He said when you join Enactus, you will help the planet and create experiences that will impact your life forever.

Wilson stated what matters most in college isn’t grades, but the people you meet and the experiences you have. “Your grades are important now, but it’s those experiences and people that will make a difference in your life and be remembered.”

BYU’s Enactus President Eli Clark explained Enactus allows people to live life-changing experiences, find their passion and do something that matters.

Clark, a senior from Idaho studying business management with a supply chain, operations and analytics concentration, said he has enjoyed many unique experiences because of his work in Enactus. “As I’ve looked back on the last three years of my life, there’ve been so many wonderful experiences.

“I travelled internationally, competed internationally and I’ve been able to take all the things I’m learning in class and apply them to a real project that has an impact on real people. … It’s really meaningful.”

Going for gold

There are about 300 universities that compete in the nationwide Enactus competition. Of these, one school is chosen to represent the whole country in the Enactus World Cup, said Wilson.

“We’ve been doing it since 1991. The very first time we won the national championship was in 2015, and we took second place at the World Cup.”

Wilson said the BYUH Enactus team won the national competition in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and in this year’s competition, the team placed 8th nationally with Mike Jarvis’ project ReefSavers.

Though the team only competes with one or two projects, Wilson said they generally have 10 to 15 different projects going on at once.

The Enactus class

In addition to the Enactus competition team, Wilson said he and Spencer Taggart, of the Faculty of Business & Government, teach the Enactus course, Entrepreneurship Leadership Practicum. The R in the class name, ENTR 201R, means the course can be taken repeatedly.

Wilson explained students who enroll in the class choose a project to accomplish by the end of the semester. Students can do anything from tackling a Peter Hollens course on how to make money on YouTube, which the Entrepreneurship Department has, to applying for funds from the Willes Center to help with their own businesses.

Throughout the semester, he said students collaborate with mentors, listen to guest speakers and go on field trips on and off the island to work on their projects.

Wilson explained they try to give students many opportunities to find a direction for their careers. “This is a great class to discover what you want to do with your life. It’s not difficult, but it is very rewarding to accomplish your own personal goals.”

Clark encouraged students to “try to get involved sooner rather than later” because their “time here at BYUH is so precious and so short. There’s so much you can do if you put forth the effort. Come, get training, find a great group of friends, make an impact and do something that matters.”

Funding real-world experiences

Ally Pack, a junior from Idaho majoring in business management–marketing and graphic design, said she took the Enactus class the last two semesters while working on her business, Sempi Co.

“I love Enactus because it encourages small business creation.” She said the class teaches students how to take their passions and turn them into something that makes money.

Pack and her team won first and third place in BYUH’s Great Ideas and Empower Your Dreams competitions, earning $4,000 in grants from the Willes Center of Entrepreneurship, she said.

Her first semester in Enactus, she explained, she made a goal to develop a marketing plan for Sempi Co. “I spent hours each week researching, designing and coming up with new material for marketing content.” She said she collaborated with other students in the class working on similar projects too.

“The culture [of the Enactus class] is very success-driven in a supported way,” Pack said. “We were given all the tools and resources we needed to succeed. All we needed to do was take advantage of them.”

Ovalle described Enactus as “a good place for start-ups” because it, combined with the center of entrepreneurship, offers the skills needed to turn great ideas into a reality.

Wilson said not every project is successful. Many student businesses start in Enactus, get funding through the Willes Center, and then don’t succeed. “That’s OK,” he shared. “To me, that’s what Enactus is all about. It gives students a space to fail, and to fail in a way where they can learn and it not be absolutely devastating.”

Clark agreed, “Enactus gives you an environment to practice and to fail and to keep trying … without having to worry about having enough money to survive.”

Get involved

Wilson said the best way to get involved is to enroll in ENTR 201R, the Enactus class, or visit https://willescenter.byuh.edu/enactus/ to learn more.

Clark said you do not have to be a business major to join Enactus. “Some of our members have majored in things that aren’t even related to business, but they’ve provided so much perspective into what we do and how to increase our impact.”

He said what Enactus needs most is “more projects and students who want to make an impact and aren’t afraid to go for it.”•

The BYUH Enactus team pictured at a competition. Photo courtesy BYUH Willes Center

There’s so much you can do if you put forth the effort. Come, get training, find a great group of friends, make an impact and do something that matters.”

ELI CLARK