FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage SIFE Tops in the Region and Nation

San Francisco, CA - For the eighth year running, Heritage University's Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) are regional champions.  However, this year they have even more to cheer about, the club was recognized as one of the ten best programs in the nation during the regional competition.

"We Consistently hear from the judges that they are impressed by the passion and zeal of our students," said Professor Len Black, Heritage SIFE advisor.  "they are equally impressed by the impact that our team is making on both our community and in international markets."

Black points to three of the service projects that the club undertook during the last year as an example of that impact.  In the Yakima Valley, the students worked with Manazeros Mejicanos, a cooperative of Hispanic apple growers, to secure USDA funding and to provide market training for the growers.  They also worked with La Casa Hogar, assisting with fund raising and providing financial literacy programs to the non-profit's clients.  Internationally, the students work with a cooperative of women in Ayoquezco, Mexico helping them to restructure their business and become financially self sufficient.

In May, Heritage SIFE will face other regional champions from across the United States at the national championship in Minneapolis, MN.  The team has placed in the top four nationally three out of the five years.

SIFE is a global, nonprofit organization that encourages students to gain practical experience in the real business world by implementing community programs that encourage financial literacy, money management, entrepreneurship, and business skills.  Students design and implement projects like bilingual financial management workshops and small business incubators for local entrepreneurs.  They then present the results of their projects in competitions with teams from across the country.

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Heritage University is a non-profit, independent, regionally accredited institution of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate education across the state of Washington.