Students Propose Community Project at Spring Enactus Exposition

By Brandon Wallace '17

A team of Bradley students, faculty and alumni presented a community-oriented project at the 2015 Enactus United States National Exposition mid-April in St. Louis. The event drew several thousand visitors, including nearly 200 teams in the Exposition’s entrepreneurship competition.

Enactus is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. Participating students form teams on university campuses and apply business concepts to develop outreach projects to improve the lives of people in need.

Bradley’s Enactus group presented a project called “Fresh Start,” which proposed a series of cooking classes in Peoria’s East Bluff. The initiative would utilize Bradley dietetics students to teach basic cooking skills and healthy living tips. A pilot class already worked with three East Bluff residents.

The exposition also served as an opportunity to network with industry professionals and listen to speeches from prominent entrepreneurs. Companies such as 3M, ADP, Enterprise, Microsoft and Kroger sought potential employees at the event.

“The exposition always has an excellent career fair featuring multiple fortune 500 companies that only hire Enactus students,” said Raven Fuller ‘14. “In addition, it was a wonderful resource for networking with fellow entrepreneurs and students from other universities.”

“We gained valuable insight about how to keep track of hours, how to gain community support and how to manage projects,” added entrepreneurship major Ethan Hartter ‘18, of Deer Creek, Illinois. “We look forward to putting this newfound knowledge to use to grow the Enactus team.”

In addition to Fuller and Hartter, the Bradley contingent included entrepreneurship majors Shannon Connelly ’15 of Glenarm, Illinois; Alexandra Enno ’15 of Springfield, Illinois; industrial engineering major Gabriel Flores ’18 of Palatine, Illinois; public relations major Jennifer Rudnicki ’15 of Eagan, Minnesota; and Dr. Eden Blair.