NEWS EDITOR- ASHTON JEFFERS
ORIGINALLY PRINTED ON SEPT 13, 2023
On Aug. 25, St. Mary’s University Enactus hosted its second Rattler Market outside the University Center in conjunction with the Meadows Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, . The event allowed local vendors around St. Mary’s campus to showcase their businesses and work in a farmers market- style. The campus-wide event featured students, faculty, staff, alumni, and local business owners and start-ups around San Antonio, giving the St. Mary’s community a chance to do shopping or browsing in between classes to kick off their weekend.
St. Mary’s Enactuschapter is a student-basedorganization dedicatedto making a difference inthe surrounding communities through supporting educationand community development and encouraging sustainability through positive business practices. STMU’s Enactus hosted different events around campus, including a book drive, partnering with Mayan Hands to generate funds for supporting Guatemalan communities and their Shanti project, and running an Aguas Frescas booth during Oyster Bake. These efforts are primarily organized by St. Mary’s students, from planning to execution. The second Rattler Market is an example of how involved Enactus is with the local community by promoting positive community engagement methods while keeping a business mindset. TheRattler Market first launched last spring semester in April, having over 25 local businesses and start-ups present and open to the San Antonio community.
Being the first market for Enactus on campus, the group quickly gained attention From this initial success in April, Enactus scheduled another Rattler Market in August, a perfect way to generate community engagement for the new semester. Once again, Enactus students worked with the Meadows Center to plan another Market Day, which spanned the entirety of the Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Before it began, Enactus created posters and social media posts announcing the event, encouraging individuals and interested business owners to email or DM them to reserve a space to set up a booth.
Present vendors included resale and vintage clothing booths, handmade jewelry boutiques, local artists, handmade handbags and totes, and food and drink booths. The wide range of businesses drew in a crowd, as many individuals found something that interested them.
Through the Market, Enactus supported these local businesses and startups by providing space and accommodations for setting up their booths on campus and provided a variety of potential customers and others who took time to browse. Marisabel Jimenez, senior English major and Enactus co-president, shared one of her favorite moments from the Rattler Market. “I liked seeing the community come out and support each
other,” Jimenez stated.
For many, it was inspiring to see their peers operating their own small businesses that they could directly support and promote the work. It was also encouraging to see their peers being the ones to take charge of organizing the event through Enactus. Many of those involved with the planning of the Rattler Market are business or environmental studies majors directly interested in pursuing studies and a potential career in community development and sustainability. Still, this does not prevent others from being engaged with the community and bringing their own unique talents and experiences to projects like the Rattler Market. Kennedy Kuchta, sophomore biology major with a pre-med track and fellow Enactus co-
president, was excited to see how many student vendors wanted to participate. “I liked seeing the student businesses,” stated Kuchta. “I thought it was cool to see their unique talents and personalities on display.”
The second Rattler Market was a huge success for student organizations and the campus community. Enactus is an organization for students interested in business development and community
engagement. If interested in seeing more projects Enactus has planned and joining in what they are working on, follow Enactus on Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter) @stmu_enactus. Enactus has an email list to which students can send their emails to receive updates on projects and general meeting dates and times. They have meetings every other week from 5-6 p.m. in Alkek 105.