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BYU-Hawaii Enactus members took home top honors and were crowned champions at the 2015 United States National Enactus Expo on April 16, beating out 177 other college teams. Sery Kone, BYUH Enactus president, said, “The BYUH team shared an amazing team spirit and one common goal of sharing our stories and best practices with others. That is what was different this year and that is what helped to lead us to win.” BYUH’s Enactus team created projects to empower residents of the Ivory Coast, the home country of Kone. The team inspired women to become entrepreneurs through microfinancing and taught cacao farmers to pollinate crops through beekeeping to increase their production and income. Team member Peder McOmber, a senior from California studying history, said, “The results were extraordinary and proved to be more than just a project. There was cultural impact recorded and our projects didn't just show action on our part but also from those we worked with in Africa.” Alex Perwich, president of Enactus United States, said, “The accomplishments of the BYUH team, the 177 other teams that competed this week, and hundreds of other active Enactus teams around the country underscore the fact that participation in Enactus provides university students with the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in their communities, while gaining the experience, skills and contacts necessary to build a successful career." With the win at Nationals in St. Louis, Mo., BYUH will now represent the United States as one of 36 countries at the 2015 Enactus World Cup in October in Johannesburg, South Africa. “I have to admit it is a little funny. A small boy from Africa will now be part of a team to go to represent the United States at a World Cup competition in Africa. I think it is a beautiful thing. These kinds of opportunities can only happen in the U.S.,” said Kone, who was awarded the “Can’t Never Could” award in recognition of his success in overcoming challenges.The competition creates a platform for university students to share their ideas to other students and businessmen and women from around the nation. The presentations demonstrated how each team is helping others around the world. “It wasn’t so much about the competition but more about an opportunity to share experiences. Everyone there wants to help others and create a sustainable project. We are all collaborating and working to get better. Each team has something to learn from the others. That was a special part of the competition for me,” said Kone. Throughout the whole process the team members said they felt inspired and directed by Heavenly Father. The projects themselves, the way they were planned and executed, and the presentation all came as the team focused on helping others and doing the Lord’s will. “Its more a feeling of gratitude,” said Kone, referring to the win. “I don’t think we did something special. I think we had an opportunity to represent the church and school with our projects on a national level and we all saw the Lord’s hand through out all of the project and competition. We know and understand where the blessing and success is coming from.”According to Kone, BYUH has been participating in Enactus for almost 20 years and those before have helped to pave the way for this year’s victory. “I just want to make sure that advisers, students, and previous team members all share in the victory that happened this year,” said Kone. Uploaded May 21, 2015

BYU–Hawaii’s Enactus team took home top honors being named the U.S. National Champions and receiving a $10,000 prize on April 16 at the annual competition held this year in St. Louis, Missouri. After being among the national finalists the last several years, coming in first place this year BYUH team will move on to compete along with 35 other countries at the World Cup Competition Oct. 14-16 in Johannesburg, South Africa.BYUH’s Enactus team “created projects empowering residents of the Ivory Coast, the home country of Sery Kone, one of its members,” says a press release about the win. “The team inspired women to become entrepreneurs through micro-financing and taught cacao farmers to pollinate crops through beekeeping to increase their production and income.”It continues, “Top executives from America’s most well-known companies including The Hershey Company, The Coca Cola Company, The Schwan Food Company and Unilever, local notables Edward Jones, Enterprise Holdings, KPMG and Walmart, and nearly 100 more gathered to judge entrepreneurial outreach projects created and implemented by Enactus teams from 178 colleges and universities, as well as network and engage with the more than 2,400 students attending from around the country.”Enactus is “part of an international non-profit organization that brings together student, academic and business leaders who are committed to improving the world through entrepreneurial action,” it says. “Guided by business experts and academic advisors at 1,700 universities in 36 countries, the 70,500 student leaders of Enactus create and implement entrepreneurial projects each year impacting more than 1,950,000 people.”Mike Moore, EVP and president, Small Formats Walmart U.S., Walmart Stores, Inc. and chairman of Enactus United States National Advisory Board, said, “Our commitment to Enactus teams worldwide underscores our belief that these talented and dedicated students are making a significant impact on the livelihoods of people in communities around the world. Not only are they doing the right thing for their communities, [but also] they are gaining highly sought-after skills and attitudes that shape our next generation of great leaders.”BYUH’s Enactus team took part in the three-day competition making live multimedia presentations describing its projects “to panels of business leaders in an effort to convince them that they have created a sustainable impact economically, socially or environmentally,” the information says. Students also “interviewed for jobs and internships at a two-day Career Fair where recruiters competed aggressively from this extraordinary pool of talent and in many cases offered jobs on the spot.”Alex Perwich, the president of Enactus United States, said, “The accomplishments of the Brigham Young University–Hawaii team, the 177 other teams that competed this week, and hundreds of other active Enactus teams around the country underscore the fact that participation in Enactus provides university students with the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in their communities, while gaining the experience, skills and contacts necessary to build a successful career.” The other teams placing in the top four were:2nd: La Sierra University (Riverside, Calif.)3rd: John Brown University (Siloam Springs, Ark.)4th: Belmont University (Nashville, Tenn.)