Hannah Judges Enactus Competition

By: Hannah Copenheaver

I had an awesome opportunity to represent World Trade Center as a judge for the Enactus regional competition in Washington, DC on March 29. For those who are unfamiliar with the organization, Enactus is an international non profit that brings together students, colleges and businesses who are committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better more sustainable world. Enactus chapters are located in colleges around the world (in 36 countries!) and each team creates community development projects centered around improving the livelihood of their respective community. 

Enactus puts on an annual series of competitions to provide a forum for college teams to showcase the impact of their efforts, which are evaluated by business executives serving as judges. Winning teams from six regional competitions, like this one in Washington DC, advance to the one national competition for the United States. There are 35 national competitions around the global and the top winners from each country advance to the prestigious Enactus World Cup, which moves locations each year around the world. 

During the Washington, DC regional competition, 47 mid-Atlantic college teams presented their projects and achievements in fifteen minutes or less. I was able to judge seven of these presentations. Nearly all had a visual presentation with pictures, infographics, testimonials, and videos. The student groups were comprised of typically four to six presenters with the rest of their teammates providing support in the audience. Teams were extremely well rehearsed and perfectly poised - even their outfits were matching! They take this competition extremely seriously. I can speak from my experience on the York College of Pennsylvania presentation team - it is no joke!

At the end of a very long day, the judges tallied up their results and 29 teams were crowned "Regional Champions", allowing them to attend the national championships in St. Louis, MO in May. Congratulations to the following Pennsylvania Enactus chapters:

• Cairn University – Langhorne, PA
• Immaculata University – Immaculata, PA
• La Salle University – Philadelphia, PA
• Penn State Altoona – Altoona, PA
• Saint Francis University – Loretto, PA
• Saint Joseph’s University – Philadelphia, PA (Rookie of the Year)
• Wilkes University – Wilkes-Barre, PA
• York College of Pennsylvania – York, PA

Best wishes to all at the national championship!