Student Assunta Mareschi Participates in Enactus Training Event
Student and JCU Enactus team leader Assunta Mareschi attended an Enactus training event at the Bosch headquarters in Milan on February 28, 2023. Enactus is an international organization that aims to inspire students to create positive social and environmental impacts through entrepreneurship.
Assunta is a senior from Salerno, Italy, majoring in International Business with a minor in Marketing. She explained that during the event, team leaders from all over Italy participated in a variety of activities aimed to develop team building and leadership skills. They also had the chance to listen and talk with professionals from different fields.
Enactus annually hosts national and international competitions where teams are asked to come up with an entrepreneurial idea focused on sustainability. Each team presents at their national competition and the winner moves on to the international competition, or what Enactus calls, the “World Cup.” John Cabot joined the Enactus network in 2018 and went on to win the national competition that year.
During the event, Assunta participated in a panel where she talked about her experience as an Enactus team leader. She discussed the difficulties that come from working with a group and navigating the different dynamics. “There are times where you may need to take a step back and embrace the best idea to come out of your team. It’s not about you anymore, it’s about what will benefit the group.”
The event included a discussion with Alessandra Cara, CEO of Gruppo Feltrinelli, who spoke about the importance of self-reflection in a professional setting. Cara said that it’s necessary to assess the commitment and sacrifice certain roles require and acknowledge whether you are able to do it. Assunta said this was her biggest takeaway from the event. “Yes, you are working for a company, you’re also working with people, so you need to be yourself and give it your all.”
The John Cabot team is working on their project for the Enactus national competition in May. The project aims to make the malaria vaccine more accessible in certain regions in Central Africa, through affiliate marketing fundraising. Right now, the team is working on the financial and marketing aspects. “It’s a big project with a big goal, but we have a great team, and we all share this amazing objective of trying to do something good and help,” said Assunta.