Only Missouri community college to reach national competition brings home trophy

The Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team from Ozarks Technical Community College earned the second runner-up trophy in its league at the SIFE National Exposition on Monday, May 11.  OTC was the only community college in Missouri to advance to SIFE Nationals, held this year in Philadephia, PA.  This is the third year in a row that OTC SIFE has achieved the distinction of competing in the National Competition.

Five students participated in the national competition:  Angela Caruso and Liz Pettit from the College’s Branson Education Center and Joshua Dye, Carrie January and Laura Louderback from the Springfield campus.  Advisors Luise Bird and Bera Nichols also traveled with the team.  

The competition consists of a 24-minute presentation of projects that each team has completed over the past 12 months at their college campuses and in their respective communities.  With the SIFE motto in mind, “A head for business, a heart for the world,” the projects must be designed to instruct within 6 criteria areas — Success Skills, Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy, Business Ethics, Environmental Sustainability and Market Economics.   Some of Ozarks Technical Community College’s team’s signature projects include the Excellence in Business Award Ceremony, the March of Technology Expo and the Holiday Bazaar.