Web Editor’s Note: This story was written for the MCOMM 3309 – News Editing & Reporting Class

Students in Free Enterprise, or SIFE, is a non-profit student organization that uses community service to help develop its members skills in becoming socially responsible business leaders.

Each chapter uses its knowledge of business to come up with projects that focus on improving the quality of life for people in need. Along with community service, SIFE chapters compete in regional and national competitions in hopes of representing the United States in the SIFE World Cup. SIFE is open to anyone at WT and the WT chapter has 98 members with members from every college at WT.

Marco Jimenez, chapter president, said that in addition to tutoring children and engaging in other community service efforts, they have several projects already planned.

“This semester WT SIFE is working on over 15 different projects,” he said. “For example, one we are working with an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) gym in Amarillo. We will work on its marketing, budgeting, and any other business help it may need.”Each year, SIFE competes in a regional and national competition. The competitions involve giving a 30 minute presentation to judges from Fortune 500 companies. They are judged against other schools in their community impact. Braegar Sprague, WT SIFE’s marketing officer, said SIFE has brought in a regional championship for several years.

“We have won at our regional competition 18 years in a row and have advanced to our national competition,” he said. “Last year we went and we presented the same presentation with some minor tweaks and ended up making the top 40 out of over 500 schools with SIFE programs.”

SIFE meets Tuesday mornings at 11:50 a.m. in room 221 of the Classroom Center. Interested students are welcome to stop by for more information.