To view photos of Chris's dorm room transformation, check out the Environmental Sustainability project page.

Followers of this blog know that the students of Vanguard University's SIFE team do some amazing work and produce outstanding projects to positively impact the community. This year alone, VUSIFE has helped educate 50 single parents and families about eating healthy while living on a budget, made 180 people more aware of local socially responsible companies, and inspired 425 youth to pursue entrepreneurship. With statistics like these, it is clear to see that being in SIFE is a priceless experience.

As this year's leadership team wraps up the academic year, we have begun planning for the future and preparing for the 2010-2011 leadership team to take charge. If you would like more information on how to be a part of a group that gives you real world business experience, as well as unforgettable memories, attend the SIFE Mixer Wednesday, March 24th at 9:30 pm in the Forrest Room (behind Needham Chapel). At the Mixer, you'll hear how this year's team has benefited from being in SIFE and get a chance to connect with other SIFE members. There will be food, games, and a whole lot of SIFE spirit!

If you're interested in taking the BUSN 430 (SIFE) class next semester, check out the Application page. Email your resume to info@vusife.org and complete the online application. Finalists will be contacted soon after for an interview.

SIFE is hands-down the best club on campus. Ensure your place on the leadership team by applying today!

Congratulations to the entire Vanguard SIFE team. We've been named as Regional Champions and will be advancing to the National Competition in Minneapolis in May.

We will be posting more details very soon... but in the meantime, check out some of the photos from the event and the celebration afterward.

Could your resume use a tune up? VUSIFE is hosting our first ever virtual Resume Pit Stop! From now until March 10th, 2010, send us your resume and we will forward it to the Vanguard University Career Center, who will use their extensive knowledge and expertise to tweak your resume into one that will catch the attention of employers everywhere. In order to gain additional insight, the Career Center would like to encourage you to schedule a 10 minute appointment with them during the week of March 7th. If you take advantage of this amazing opportunity, VUSIFE will enter your name into a drawing for a $50 cash prize!

This is all part of our Success Skills project area, led by Project Manager Heather Hernandez. It is our hope that through this event, you will be better equipped to find the right job for you.

To participate in the Resume Pit Stop, email your resume to info@vusife.org. In order to get entered for the $50 cash prize, stop by the Vanguard Career Center and talk with a counselor about your resume and future job opportunities. Also, be sure to check out these additional materials from the Career Center for building your resume before you schedule your appointment.

From left-to-right: Jon McCormick, Natacha Cabrera, Gabriel De La Puente, Addie Coffman, Lisa Casimiro, and Jeremy Franz.

Our Business Advisor Dave Stachowiak and Faculty Advisor Bonni Stachowiak coach the team every Monday night. Their duties include filming the students' presentations and giving them personalized instruction on areas of strength and improvement. Dave devised an acronym which describes five fundamental tips on how to become a stronger presenter:

Smile. It may seem simple, but a smile goes a long way to conveying energy and passion about your message.

Hands. Most people don’t know what to do with their hands when they’re talking. One good technique is to use gestures, but to return to a “home base” stance, or a “neutral stance”, with your hands at your sides when you’re not in the middle of gesturing about something.

Enthusiasm. As the adage goes, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Your enthusiasm strengthens your message and helps to get the audience engaged in hearing more about the team’s results.

Eye-contact. Instead of trying to look everyone in the room in the eye, which would likely result in a pretty sketchy looking expression on your face as you quickly scanned from person to person, connect for 3-5 seconds with specific people who are sitting in different places in the room. Having stronger eye contact with 7-12 individuals in the room will appear as if you’re engaging with the entire room than if your eyes flit nervously around the room in a seemingly random manner.

Projection. The volume of your voice is going to be lower when you’re talking with a small group than when you’re trying to fill a large hotel conference room, like you will be for competition. Projection is crucial and occurs when you think about breathing in deeply (your stomach/gut should extend) and using your diaphragm to support your loud voice.

If you are interested in attending the competition this year, or in watching the team in their final practice, please contact us. We'd love to hear your feedback about our soon-to-be award winning team and we hope to see you at the regional competition!