Four College of the North Atlantic (CNA) teams participated in the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition from March 6-7 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Vying against the top colleges and universities in Atlantic Canada, students showcased the impact their community outreach projects and business ventures are making in Canada and beyond.
Through rounds of live, presentation-based competitions, business leaders served as judges to determine which Enactus teams and student entrepreneurs would be named regional champions.
CNA sent teams from Bay St. George (BSG), Clarenville, Grand Falls-Windsor and Prince Philip Drive (PPD) campuses. Of the 27 presentations during the two-day event, 10 were from the four CNA teams, with three of those teams taking home awards.
Grand Falls-Windsor placed first runner-up in the Capital One Financial Education Challenge and second runner-up in the Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge.
“When I looked at the competing schools, and realized that most of the teams came from large universities, I wondered how our team from Grand Falls-Windsor campus would fare,” said Grand Falls-Windsor Campus Administrator Joan Pynn. “I need not have worried as students from all four campuses certainly rose to the occasion. Their presentations were professional, well planned and well executed. Their skills are a tribute to our faculty and our programs here at CNA. We are indeed preparing our students to compete with the best out there. When we consider our size, even as an institution, this speaks volumes about the quality of the training we are giving our students.”
The Stephenville (BSG) Enactus team placed second in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge, going head to head with Universite Sainte-Anne, CNA St. John’s (PPD), Saint Mary’s University (first place) and Dalhousie University.
The project they focused on for their presentation was designed to teach entrepreneurial skills to underemployed individuals in the Bay St. George area utilizing the harvesting of hand-picked cranberries from Lomond’s Cranberry farm as a micro-business model.
“Our Enactus team was comprised entirely of first-year students, who had no experience with Enactus but who did a fantastic job in their presentation and obviously won over the judges with their enthusiasm. I was extremely proud of all their efforts,” said faculty advisor Shawn Tilley.
“To me, the key part of their project was that they really met a need in their local community which was really apparent with the number of questions that were asked by the judges.”
Enactus Clarenville took home an award as second runner-up in the Financial Education Challenge. Faculty advisor Samantha Downey says the exhibition was an amazing opportunity for the students to showcase their many abilities and skills.
“They all worked very hard during the school year to create and execute projects which make a positive impact in our communities; while turning classroom theory into real life practice,” said Downey. “This competition allows them to enhance their public speaking abilities, apply sound business concepts, and make connections with students from Atlantic Canada and industry representatives. I could not be happier with our team’s result. Each individual is a student leader here on our campus, and each did a fantastic job representing Clarenville campus, and CNA as a whole.”
Mary Vaughan, CNA’s Dean of Business and Information Technology, says all of the teams should be proud of their showing at the Regional Exhibition and wishes each of them luck at the national competition taking place April 28-30 in Calgary, Alberta.
“Our Enactus chapters are very successful due to the faculty coaching, community involvement, college support and most importantly, the calibre of our students,” said Vaughan. “The projects they are involved in have changed many organizations and individuals in our community; they are making such a positive impact and it shines through when they are on the national stage!”
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Media Contact:
Glenda McCarthy
Public Relations Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
709.643.6408
glenda.mccarthy@cna.nl.ca