Xavier University of Louisiana, which consistently supports programming that cultivates talent and leadership among the next generation, is host to a chapter of Enactus, a network of leaders committed to using business as a catalyst for positive social and environmental impact meant to educate, inspire, and support young people to use innovation and entrepreneurship to solve the world’s biggest problems. At the end of April, the Xavier Enactus chapter had the opportunity to showcase their innovative efforts with a creative design project, complete with implementation proposals, during the Enactus National Expo, placing among the top eight in the nation.

The Enactus World Cup, an annual global convening and impact competition focused on celebrating student impact and learning in pursuit of “Sustainable Development Goals” as laid out by the United Nations, is divided into several stages of competition on both a national and global scale.

In the United States, the first day of the national stage competition hosted 24 teams that competed against each other in six spreads of four. Two people from each league moved on to the semifinals, where they had to give the same presentation. The top four then moved to the finals, with the national champion moving on to the international competition, which will be held in the Netherlands in October. Though this was the first time that Xavier's Enactus team presented at the World Cup, they placed in the semifinals, making Xavier University of Louisiana the only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) at that stage of the competition.

The road to the semifinals certainly wasn’t easy- the Xavier Enactus chapter has blossomed from two members into a team of 10-12. Initially, misunderstandings about the core purpose of Enactus caused difficulty when the team tried to expand and recruit more members, with current participants emphasizing that contrary to general belief, the program is open to all majors, not just those studying business.

“We want students to know this is not a business group and that the majority of our participants are not even business majors!” said Amaiya Walker, a rising junior at Xavier University of Louisiana and member of Enactus. "We've been able to create bonds. Bonds with each other, our community, and the other young girls we mentor at the Rosalind Hale Rites of Passage program."

The Xavier Enactus team also found other challenges for their implemented proposals. Just Haiti, one of the team’s projects, had to take the political strife of the nation into account. Just Haiti, a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation formed in 2007, is an international organization that currently is assisting Black Haitian farmers and their families by selling the coffee they have produced.

“Our overall goal was to arrive there and show that Xavier University of Louisiana is a competitor. We are the outliers in this conception coming from a small HBCU,” shared Walker.

Xavier Enactus is also collaborating with Riverside Upcycle, which collects single-use grocery bags and turns them into fashionable bags and wallets. The team worked with the Rosalind Rites of Passage program to teach young girls, specifically Black and other girls of color, to become entrepreneurs, sell the bags they’ve made, and the importance of upcycling and developing as a person. Xavier Enactus established an increase in demand for the Riverside Upcycle bags from the products they have received from just Haiti.

“We learned so much- how to build our resumes, create needs assessments for our communities, and even how to orchestrate a business!” Walker said.

The Xavier Enactus team is ready to start the year with even more great ideas that will lead to a more sustainable, and just future.