City Times

Issue date: 3/31/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Carlos Maia On March 24, as she moves from one class to another, Lidia Gutierrez purchases a coffee from Edward McChanon, on of the student SIFE employees. Gutierrez, a psychology major, refills her own coffee cup that she used earlier in order to limit waste. Every school day, students and teachers alike line up in front of the student-run coffee cart in Schwartz Square to get their favorite flavor of java just the way they like it.

A sustained moment of unsettling silence following a presentation could unnerve any speaker, causing uncertainty and resulting in a hurried mental run through of their presentation, all the while wondering, "Did I do something wrong?"

But SIFE team presenter Colette Desaulnier was unfazed by the brief quiescence that followed an unusually short round of questioning by competition judges.

Desaulnier and fellow presenters, Vikrum Deol, Alberto Andrade and Alyssia Houge, had worked innumerable hours since the start of spring semester, building and preparing their presentation, and they were confident that what they had in their possession was a well-tuned presentation showcasing SIFE's ongoing projects on City College's campus and in the community.

And they were right to not worry.

The SIFE team walked away with the league championship, making it their 15th consecutive win at SIFE Regional Competition, which took place in Los Angeles on March 17 and 18, and earning them a finalist spot at SIFE USA National Expo in Philadelphia May 11 and 12.

Two-year and four-year colleges from California, Nevada and Arizona competed at the regional competition where SIFE teams delivered their presentation to a panel of 20-30 judges who rated their presentation based on how effective the team measured and demonstrated that it created economic opportunity by helping others."

Team supporter Yessica Vasquez noted that judges were so impressed by the team's presentation that during intermission, prior to announcing the winners, judges were taking note of City College students they came across.

Continued...

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