When you’re balancing your university work, a part-time job and family commitments, your spare time can seem all too sparse. Whether you fancy blowing off steam, trying new hobbies or doing your bit for the community, Salford’s Students’ Union provides a variety of ways to spend your time away from the lecture theatre.

We met Andreea C. Mois, President of Enactus Salford to find out how she’s getting the most out of her time at Salford.

A campus shot of the Lady Hale building
Photography: Charles Leek

Tell us a bit about yourself and your studies.

My name is Andreea and I’m a final year student studying BSc Business Information Technology (now BSc Digital Business). I am the current President of Enactus Salford; I also run the Kickboxing Society and work at the University!

I originally studied Computer Science, but after doing my placement year which was more business related, and getting involved with Enactus, I decided to transfer to the Business School. So, for the past two years I’ve been a Business student and I’m close to graduation now. 

A headshot of Andreea herself. She is wearing one of the navy Enactus logo hoodies and her brown hair is down in curls. She is smiling.

For those who don’t know, what is Enactus?

Enactus is a network that runs globally across 36 countries and around 65 universities in the UK. It’s concerned with taking entrepreneurial action to make an impact around UN sustainable development goals.

We currently run a few projects that aim to tackle various issues. This year, we have three new projects, all of which focus on social action. The projects are run by students, but our beneficiaries are groups of different ages and demographics.

Members of the Enactus society all wearing navy blue hoodies with the 'Enactus University of Salford' logo on. Two students at the back of the group photo hold up a banner with the logo also on.

What kinds of projects do you run?

This year we have three new projects. One of them is looking at empowerment of women and is called ‘Limitless Ladies’, the project involves working with women’s centres in Salford, previously collaborating with the Salford Foundation and the women’s centre in Eccles; our second project, The Butterfly Effect, is around academic resilience and mental health in young adults who may be transitioning from college to university; the final project, MyLo, looks at promoting local businesses and SMEs in Salford. 

Tell us more about the competition you have been involved with?

Enactus run an annual competition that tries to motivate teams to do more, celebrate their achievements and gives them a chance to exchange practices. The competition is an event where all the UK teams come together to talk about their projects, achievements and learn from each other. We started with a regional competition, then the nationals, then the world cup. 

This year the regionals were held at Enrst & Young in Manchester – these went really well! We got lots of good feedback and everyone was pleased with the results that we achieved. We competed in a Health & Wellbeing Individual Topic Competition and qualified for the final stage. The results were great and we were named the national champions in the Health and Wellbeing category at the National Expo 2019.  

A certificate for the Sodexo Health and Wellbeing champion. With a cheque of £1,350 pounds. This certificate sits behind a transparent glass trophy.

What are the benefits of being involved with Enactus?

We have a high number of Business students who join Enactus because they want to get experience running a project. All the projects we run have the structure of a social enterprise. You learn a lot about resilience and build a really strong network, not only by running a project, but by being a part of Enactus as a whole. Enactus has a wide range of sponsors both in the UK and internationally. We also have business and university advisers who act as your mentors; you can also get placements, internships and graduate jobs through the organisation.

It definitely opened doors for me: after running my own project I learned a lot about project management and now I actually work as a project officer. It’s definitely been helpful and getting involved with a society of any kind can help both your student and professional life.

Three other students involved in Enactus. All three of them having the navy Enactus logo hoodies on. They are stood facing the camera and smiling.

What do you do to unwind after University and Enactus work?

Everyone expects you to have a one-side personality. When I’m in the office or class, I’m very professional. But in my spare time I get involved with a lot of things like kickboxing and dancing. 

I’ve been doing kickboxing for around four years now and it’s not just about stress release! It teaches you a lot about discipline and patience which has really helped me a lot. Even though kickboxing is not a team sport, you learn a lot by working with partners and supporting other members of the group.

A campus shot of the University House also known as the University of Salfords' Students' Union. There is a row of bushes in front of it, as well as a signboard advertising the starbucks inside. There is also a sign for our AskUS service that has a grey and yellow colour palette.
Photography: Charles Leek

Enactus is just one of many amazing societies you can get involved in at Salford. Head to our Students’ Union website for more information about societies, clubs and events. Interested in a Business-related degree? Have a look at our courses here. ✨