U of C wins Ernst & Young's campus competition for the second year running
Your World, Your Vision promotes corporate responsibility at grassroots level
CALGARY, April 14 /CNW/ - Ernst & Young has announced the three winning teams for its 2010 Your World, Your Vision campus competition, with the University of Calgary making the cut for a second year in a row.
The competition invites students to develop and submit proposals for programs designed to make a difference in their communities in one of three areas - education, entrepreneurship or the environment - the same areas of focus as Ernst & Young LLP's corporate responsibility efforts.
The winning teams for this competition, which attracted entries from more than 60 colleges and universities, are from the University of Calgary, the University of Illinois and the University of Maryland, College Park. Each team will receive $10,000 from Ernst & Young to implement their program.
"Ernst & Young wants students to understand that our firm is interested in more than just their professional skills. Giving back to local communities is a core value for our people, and the Your World, Your Vision program helps us connect with college students in a way that is meaningful," said Ryan MacDonald, Campus Recruiting Partner for Ernst & Young in Calgary.
The program seeks to empower tomorrow's business leaders and generate interest in the accounting profession. The idea, approach and title of the community programs for the competition are left up to the students. Students from each campus are asked to work as a group to submit creative programs that would have an impact in their communities - on campus, in a nearby town or city, or in a virtual community - and can be broad enough to affect those on a national or global level. An Ernst & Young advisor worked with the teams throughout the challenge, offering advice, insight and other tips.
This year's winning University of Calgary team members are Simran Dhatt, Jason Ho, Michael Ho, Naz Keshavarzian, Michael Lam, Catherine Lawless, Jonathan Lercher, Crystal Li, Danielle Lueers, Annie Ly, Nick Makarov, Chelsea Mitchell, Lisa Mody, Daniela Montgomery and Tim Young.
Their winning program EntrepreLEARN is an initiative intended to teach high-school students about entrepreneurship and conducting business in an environmentally friendly way. After attending sessions on the basics of entrepreneurship, students will develop their own business idea, market it to their classmates and community, and compete for a chance to win a "Day in the life of a CA" at Ernst & Young's Calgary office.
Last year's University of Calgary winners have been working, planning and preparing for planting day at their community naturalization garden in an underserved community in Northeast Calgary. The soccer-field-sized garden will comprise plants native to Calgary. The organization, Rundle Community Roots, expects to break ground this spring.
"We are incredibly proud of the success of the 2009 Your World, Your Vision winners from University of Calgary, and the exciting things they're doing to strengthen the community," says MacDonald. "We look forward to funding this year's winning programs and seeing the impact these talented students will have."
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For further information: Samantha Goldsilver, [email protected], (416) 943-3458; Brooke Morris, [email protected], (604) 899-3597; Marie-Ève Graniero, [email protected], (514) 874-4313
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