TAMIU SIFE wins second place in national exposition

Caption: Texas A&M International University Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) recently were awarded second place in the SIFE National Exposition held in Minneapolis, Minn. Pictured from left to right, front row are: Robert Evans (SIFE TAMIU advisor), Elena Solano, Hedei Arias, Kesia Rodriguez, Yuri Robles, Linda Mercado, Holly Herrera, Juan Garcia. Back row: Baldemar Lopez, Edwin Martinez, Dimas Chacon, Diego Garcia, Nelson Figueroa, Miguel Chavez, Louie Rodriguez, Rene Rodriguez, Ivan Molina, Jose Maldonado.

Texas A&M International University's Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) has won second place at a recent SIFE National Exposition held in Minneapolis, Minn., where more than 160 teams nationwide gathered to compete.
SIFE TAMIU showcased seven projects that the student organization focused on during the 2009-10 academic year and received second place for its "I-Transgreen" project in the"Sam's Environmental Challenge" special topic competition, sponsored by Sam's Club in Laredo. The team first won at the South Texas Region level, earning a prize of $1,000 and moving to the second round as a Top Five Finalist to compete for the national award. The group won a trophy and a $4,000 cash prize.
In the project, SIFE TAMIU helped El Meson de San Agustin Restaurant and Alicia Ruiz Elementary School to become more environmentally friendly and adopt cost-saving measures. As a result, El Meson was able to derive a cost savings of more than $500 a month. Families participating in the Alicia Ruiz Elementary School project saved $25 per month in their homes' electricity bills.
"We are very excited about this competition," said Miguel Chavez, TAMIU SIFE treasurer, "It's definitely something that we are proud of and it will help us motivate our new members next year."
The student organization was also named one of the top 20 finalists in the "Business Ethics Competition," for its project titled, "Understanding Disability Success," sponsored by Sealed Air Corp., for presentations the organization made to various local businesses on the contributions that people with disabilities can make to the workforce.
Chavez said that SIFE will utilize its competition award to fund community-oriented, volunteer projects this year.
The SIFE TAMIU team is comprised of a diverse group of students from all disciplines who take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it to real-life situations. Its goal is to use students' knowledge to better the community through free enterprise educational outreach projects.
For more information, contact Andres Rivas, assistant professor of business and SIFE faculty sponsor, at 326-2484, e-mail arivas@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in Western Hemispheric Trade Center 203C.