SFU made history at the recent Enactus Canada Western Regional Exposition, where the team swept the competition with their innovative entrepreneurial initiatives. For the first time in the group’s 22-year history, Enactus SFU claimed first place in each of the top categories.
Their Banner Bags initiative earned the number one spot in the Scotiabank Eco-Living Green Challenge; the entrepreneurial program Jumpstart landed first in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge; and the Hunger Actions project seized the title in the Capital One Financial Education Challenge. SFU student Chantelle Buffie also won the HSBC Woman Leader of Tomorrow Award.
“This is a huge accomplishment, not only placing in the three categories but winning them all,” said Enactus SFU president Vanessa Lee in a media release. “We’re proud of the contributions all of our members have made to the community this year and look forward to riding this success into the national competition.”
Ben Hwang, a veteran of the competition, stepped behind the scenes to coach members of the entrepreneurial accelerator program, Jumpstart. The program supports aspiring entrepreneurs at SFU who may have a great idea, but lack the resources to put a project in motion.
Winona Bhatti also took the year off as a competitor to coach her team, Banner Bags, to a victory. The eco-friendly initiative teaches high school students how to transform old banners into bags and other fashion apparel.
Vameesha Patel, Manhei Lee, Mark O’Connor and Wendy Huang teamed up to bring their cause, Hunger Actions, into the spotlight. The program empowers low-income single mothers to budget for healthy lifestyles.
Despite Hwang and Bhatti having competed before, the team members told The Peak that the butterflies never really go away. “I think I had [my team’s] whole script memorized,” Bhatti said, laughing. “I was so much more nervous as a coach. I was nervous for them.”
Competitor or coach, it didn’t seem to matter: Jumpstart member Jason Monoharan explained that climbing the stage, “you’re shaking. You’re pretty nervous. No matter how many times you practice, you’ll have nerves.”
Still, the team members expressed that the great pride that comes with presenting to the judges makes it all worth it. “Knowing that you did something special, it’s an amazing feeling,” said Bhatti.
The team is now preparing for the national competition in Calgary at the end of April, but Hwang said that the main goal is not winning: “We’re just really excited to see what other schools are doing, and to learn from them.”
