"We've come back to Laredo for six consecutive years because what we do here is what SIFE is all about," said Dr. Charles Wyatt, faculty advisor to the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) and the director of the Breech School of Business Administration at Drury University. "It gives our kids a chance to see a culture different from their own and Laredo students the opportunity to interact with college students from another part of the country."
A group of 25 students representing the Drury University SIFE team recently traveled to Laredo as part of their ongoing educational efforts in the area and worked with students at Los Obispos Middle School, Trautmann Middle School, and United High School. The college students who taught practical lessons in ethics and the importance of homework helped Laredo students get a basic understanding of general economic principles.
SIFE, a non-profit organization, has chapters in more than 750 campuses nationwide and has a presence in more than 20 countries.
"This experience gives our students the opportunity to apply what they learned in their classes and give back to the community," said Dr. Charles Taylor, dean of Drury University. "This project is both educational and community-oriented."
Student-led seminars show students how to develop a business plan, understand the stock market, discuss careers, and reflect on cultural diversity and ethical decision-making. After teaching the concepts, SIFE members aid Laredo students in the hands-on design and development of their own products such as personalized mugs, jewelry, and magnets. The students then had an opportunity to demonstrate their business skills by selling their creations in the Mercado, a marketplace activity set up in the school gym.
"If someone is going into business, they can reflect on this experience in the future," said Ricardo Vera, a sixth grader at Trautmann Middle School. "We're making beads with multi-colors, and we're going to sell them for a dollar. Then we'll have a booth with workers and partners, and students can use mercado money to buy items. It's like a real life kind of thing."
"It's a good experience for our students," said Maribel García, a sixth grade science teacher at Trautmann Middle School. "They get an idea of what college is about and what students can do for college credit. They also have the opportunity to ask them all sorts of questions about college life," she said.
"When I taught at Los Obispos Middle School, I felt like the students really got the idea of starting their own business and being their own boss instead of working for someone the rest of their lives. Nobody told me that when I was young," García said.
"Based on experiences we've had in the past at other schools, our students would rather be here in Laredo because the students seem to be more respectful and are more engaged in learning," said Wyatt.
"Students here are excited about learning," said Taylor. "We can never predict the impact we'll have, but the next Bill Gates or Mrs. Fields can come out of here."
"I've always been very interested in business and also very compassionate about community service, but I was never quite sure how I'd combine the two," said Drury senior Sarah Torpey. "My sophomore year I joined the SIFE team and since then I've been active in communities across the nation and internationally. It's such a totally different atmosphere than the one I grew up in or experienced at school. We work with kids that are so excited about what we have to offer about business and about college, but they don't know that at the same time we're learning a lot from them."
"We get to learn about how business works so that when we grow up and go to college we'll know more about it," said Hannah Somerville, a sixth grade student at Trautmann Middle School. "They tell us that college is fun, and it makes us want to go. Since they're from out of town, it makes it cool because I've never met anyone from that side of the country before," she added.
In addition to the middle school activities, the SIFE members taught lessons to high school students at United High School Engineering Magnet on college planning, responsible financial planning, and investing to achieve financial independence.
The educational programs are adapted from Drury SIFE's Young Entrepreneurs Association (YEA!), an internet-based educational resource that provides lesson plans and classroom activities for upper elementary and middle school teachers who want to teach economics and free enterprise topics in their classrooms. The first chapter of YEA! was established in 1997 at Los Obispos Middle School. The Drury SIFE team created an ongoing pen-pal project in which Drury students served as mentors for selected students. Drury SIFE alums from Springfield, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Austin returned to Laredo to renew acquaintances with their former pen-pals. The Laredo pen-pals from 1997 are now high school juniors and will be included in the financial planning lessons. Now in its fourth year, there are 502 participating YEA! Chapters in all 50 states in the U.S. as well as in 17 other nations.
"Our SIFE students work hard and make a real difference in the lives of these kids," said Wyatt. "We take so much for granted, and this gives us an opportunity to give something back by taking what we learn in the classroom and applying it to real-world problems," he added, noting that the team members gave up their winter break to accomplish this outreach project.