San Antonio College students placed second in their division at the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) national championships May 23-25 in Kansas City, Mo., nearly advancing to the championship round. The college was one of only 45 two-year colleges to make the trip to Kansas City after winning a regional competition sponsored by SIFE, a nonprofit organization promoting free enterprise.

Throughout the past academic year, 36 SIFE students established nearly two dozen community outreach programs, volunteering hundreds of hours devoted to teaching the benefits of free enterprise.

After winning the regional competition in Dallas, in which a team of seven students summarized their successes before a panel of judges representing some of the country's most successful businesses, they went to compete at the national level where they won first runner-up.

At nationals, "We were more confident and more prepared," said SIFE team member Selena Patel, a business management major at San Antonio College. "We knew what to expect."

In addition to the competition, students interacted with business representatives and listened to keynote speakers Sarah Hughes, the 2002 Olympic gold medalist in figure skating, and publisher Earl Graves, the chairman and CEO of Earl G. Graves, Ltd. Perhaps most importantly, they gained confidence from the experience.

"I know I performed my very best at nationals. We all did," said SIFE team member Yvonne Gomez, a marketing student at San Antonio College. "If we go back, we will win. I know we will."

San Antonio College Business Professors Charles Hunt and Val Calvert, who mentored the students throughout the school year, accompanied them to Kansas City. Hunt said, "They experienced feeling what it's like to be a teacher, and they really enjoyed it."

For example, San Antonio College students taught children in kindergarten through grade five basic concepts of business and the importance of free enterprise. They also taught high school students and college students money management tips and helped 11 families at a transitional shelter learn money management skills.

Gomez said, "It opened my mind up to what I can do for myself and other people."

Students also collected 178 cell phones for the Family Violence Prevention Center, and they helped a SIFE team member's grandfather restructure his automotive business, boosting his clientele and his profits. In addition, they interviewed 66 local business executives, compiling their thoughts on personal management and leadership skills into a single, book-length document.

"It makes me feel good that I can do something for somebody else," Patel said. "Being in SIFE, and all the experiences, changes you and makes you more involved in what you do." It helps you better understand the possibilities that accompany business ownership, and not just personal and financial opportunities, but those that help the community at large as well, she added.

"You get great hands-on experience," said SIFE President Tyrone Jenkins, a business management major at SAC. "And, with SIFE, we participate as a group, so we always get more than one opinion."

SIFE treasurer Kenneth Scholwinski, who earned his associate's degree in emergency medical sciences at SAC this spring, said, "It helped me learn some valuable lessons on how to be part of a team." He learned how to better communicate his ideas, and, when necessary, how to compromise.

Scholwinski knew nothing of SIFE before enrolling in BMGT 2309 Leadership, a credit course that teaches students leadership skills via either classroom or hands-on instruction (through SIFE). He elected to pursue learning leadership skills as a SIFE team member, an option available to all students, regardless of their classification or major.

From its inaugural year in 1996-97, San Antonio College's SIFE team has been turning heads. At the regional tournament in 1997, SAC won "Rookie of the Year" and first runner-up awards, followed by two years as regional champs, three years as regional first runner-ups, and, finally, this year's success in nationals.

"Each year the SIFE team is different," Patel said. "Every SIFE team is dedicated to their work, but we went beyond that. Everyone got along with one another - we did everything together. We kind of grew to be good friends."

Jenkins added, "The instructors make the difference. We never felt like we were in it by ourselves. It always seemed like we had somebody supporting us."

For more information about SIFE, contact Charles Hunt at 733-2850 or Val Calvert at 785-6143.