SIFE chapter returns to El Salvador over winter break

A 10-member group representing the College’s SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) chapter (www.yorksife.org) returned to El Salvador from Feb. 27 – March 5 as part of their project Enterprise in El Salvador. Since 2006, the SIFE team has been involved with a community in El Salvador, working with an artisan woman to help her produce and sell hammocks in the United States. In addition, the team also created a partnership with the SIFE team from the University of El Salvador; they teamed up with the group to run a seminar for high school students in El Salvador (pictured).

From Chet Kresge, senior marketing major from Mountville, Pa., and SIFE president: We taught classes in two different high schools and one junior college. For four consecutive days, we went to each school and taught on a different topic. The topics included Personal Success Skills, Business and Personal Ethics, and Leadership. The goal is to deter the students from joining gangs and encourage them to pursue higher education. Students from the University of El Salvador assisted us with the classroom presentations.

The trip also included some planning for the future, and visiting with the students from the University of El Salvador to see what kind of volunteer projects they are doing in the community. Overall, we impacted the lives of over 430 students in El Salvador with our program. All of the students were very receptive and eager to learn throughout the week.

Students who participated in the SIFE trip:

Mike Foster – senior sport management and finance major from Harrisburg, Pa.

Nicole Smolenski – senior finance major from Bel Air, Md.

Gina Raffa – senior accounting major from Springfield, Pa.

Dianne Spotts – senior accounting major from Warrington, Pa.

Becky Lloyd – senior finance major from Stewartstown, Pa.

Vicki Bisio – first-year marketing major from Lansdale, Pa.

Chet Kresge – senior marketing major from Mountville, Pa.

Chelsea Pavelchak –first-year marketing major from Andover, N.J.

Danica Dominick – senior marketing major from York, Pa.

Hannah Krug – senior marketing and Spanish major from Parkton, Md.