Name: Shelby Gault
Major/Minor: Management Major with a Double minor in Environmental Science and Marketing
Hometown: Woodstock, Vermont
Graduation Year: 2018
Favorite Food: Tacos
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Hobby: Adventuring and travelling. Whenever, wherever.
Dream Job: Project Manager at an environmentally focused Non-profit
Involvements at Bryant:
- Enactus Club President
- Student Sustainability Ambassador
- TEAN Ambassador
- Intramurals (Statistics and Athlete)
- Study Abroad: New Zealand
HC: For those who don’t know, what is Enactus?
SG: Enactus is the perfect combination of entrepreneurship and community service. Our goal is simple: identify societal problems and solve them in a sustainable way. Our projects are all focused off-campus as we strive to better the greater RI community, and the world.
HC: Why are you involved in Enactus?
SG: I am involved in Enactus because I needed a community service club freshman year. I have been volunteering since before I could drive and it’s something that I have always felt obligated to do. Enactus has given me the tools and ability to use the lessons I am learning every day in business school and apply them to real life situations. The best part is, Enactus is completely ours. Members have complete control over projects, so if you are passionate about something whether it be the environment like me, or veterans, or finance, or anything else you could think of, we can develop a project to tackle the problem. I think the ability to choose to work on what you are passionate about is what lured me in. The family atmosphere, the project management skills, the career opportunities, the mentorship, and the resume building opportunities are what got me to stay.
HC: What do you do as President of Enactus?
SG: As President, I reside at all general meetings, as well as motivate the entire club in general. We hit somewhat of a lul last semester, so when I got back from studying abroad, I wanted to hit the ground running with some fresh ideas. So far as President, I have established good relationships with my new Eboard, conceived a new project idea, and increased club membership by 20%.
HC: What are your current projects?
SG: Currently we have 3 projects: Salute to Service, Beyond Beads and Buy-One-Give-One Soap
Salute to Service is our longest standing project. It is geared toward helping the United States Veterans adjust back to civilian life and enter into the job market. Last year, we put on our first annual Career fair with over 60 companies in attendance, and over 50% of veterans left with interviews. We also helped them with interview skills and resume drafting.
Beyond Beads is one of our newest projects. Created this semester after a brainstorming session with all general members, Beyond Beads is a project geared toward ending homelessness and unemployment. We plan on employing local homeless people from the crossroads shelter for around $12/hour to design and sell their own environmentally friendly products, starting with bracelets. We plan on training them using our product and then eventually want them to start their own micro businesses selling other sustainable products. We are starting to sell these bracelets around campus and at local flea markets. When the projects grows large enough, we plan to start hosting our own flea market, made up of each of our micro business as well as local businesses that we will be bringing in as additional sellers and potential employers for our business partners.
Buy-One-Give-One Soap is also a brand new project, but for the first time in Bryant Enactus history, we are going international. We plan on manufacturing all natural soap and selling it at our Beyond Beads flea market and at local businesses in the community. For each bar we sell, we will donate one bar to a small village in India, in an attempt to increase the poor hygiene conditions which cause the majority of illnesses.
HC: Is there anything the general Bryant population can do to help?
SG: Join Enactus! I don’t mean to sound cheesy, but getting involved on campus is what makes Bryant so great. I found my place in Enactus because it’s so welcoming and inspiring. I urge everyone to find an organization to get involved in, potentially Enactus, that way you have some time every week where you are working on something you are passionate about.
HC: Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
SG: I know this entire article has been about Enactus, but I also want to say that studying abroad was the best choice I ever made in my life, and I highly suggest it to everyone. If you are an adrenaline junkie like myself, New Zealand is the place for you!