HPU Student on Winning US Pitch Competition Team

Hawai‘i Pacific University senior business major with a concentration in finance and economics Quynh Bach participated in the 2021 U.S. Enactus Summer Leadership Series. Her team took 2nd place in the series' pitch competition for the project entitled "UNLOCKWORK Online Program: A Solution for Attracting Workers to a Slowing Labor Market." (Pictured, clockwise: Quynh Bach, Dudu Kakhu, Sophie Shulman).   

Bach learned of this five-week immersive program sponsored by KPMG corporation with support from Robert Half corporation from her economics professor and HPU Enactus club advisor Ken Schoolland. 

Of the Enactus national summer program, Bach said working with her fellow team members Dudu Kakhu of Andrews University in Michigan, and Sophie Shulman of Carthage College in Wisconsin, in different time zones improved her time management skills. Bach, who is originally from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, spent the summer in Hawai‘i. And the team's KPMG mentor was in Connecticut.

While it may go without saying, Bach honed her skills as a team player through this program: the team members used a Google doc to share their brainstorming ideas, set project deadlines, and created a table with problems and solutions. Bach, Kakhu, and Shulman would convene for a team meeting on Fridays. 

Equipped with new personal and project development skills through her participation in the Enactus leadership institute, Bach said, "The most important thing I learned from this program is how to be a good team player. You have to be a perfect team player before you can lead somebody else."

In addition to working on their project pitch, Bach and her fellow program participants had the opportunity to learn through training and development modules provided by KPMG and Robert Half. "Expert Insights on Managing a Culturally Diverse Team," "Developing an Effective Business Case," and "Expert Insights on Setting and Managing Priorities" were among the educational modules offered to the participants.

Bach continues to stay connected with Kakhu and Shulman through LinkedIn, and according to Bach, that is a significant plus of participating in the summer leadership institute.

"It is a chance for you to meet other people and learn from them," Bach reflected.

Featured below is a video of Bach, Kakhu, and Shulman’s project pitch.