August 2019

THIBODAUX, La. — Four Nicholls students and a professor have been named a finalist for an award for their work to highlight a business innovator.

Dr. Christopher Castille and students Samantha Hollingsworth, a senior accounting major from Raceland; Alexis Guzman, a senior marketing major from Houma; Donald August, a senior management major from La Place; and Geri Orgeron, a senior management major from Houma, were named finalists for the 2019 Flourish Prize by the global educational initiative AIM2Flourish.

“For me, having students acknowledged as finalists for this award means a lot,” said Dr. Castille. “I introduced this project to help students see how business can be a force for good in the world and not simply the cause of many problems that we face in our world, for example, climate change. Here, we have a clear case of that, even if the team ultimately does not receive an award.”

AIM2Flourish facilitates student interviews with business leaders about a recent, positive and profitable business innovations that advance the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals) established by the United Nations.

Under the direction of Dr. Castille, Hollingsworth, Guzman, August and Orgeron interviewed T. Baker Smith Public Relations Coordinator Jennifer Smith and Project Manager Craig Guidry about the rigid pipe boom, which was a solution to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The students’ story “A Solution to Manmade Disaster: The Rigid Pipe Boom” was recognized for UN Global Goals “Clean Water and Sanitation,” “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure,” “Life Below Water” and “Life on Land.”

The students are a team from Dr. Castille’s human relations and interpersonal skills course.

The 76 finalists for the 2019 Flourish Prizes represent more than 800 AIM2Flourish.com stories published in 2018, spanning the globe and showcasing business innovations for each of the 17 UN Global Goals. Finalists are from 30 universities in 16 countries under the guidance of 35 professors. The businesses profiled come from 27 countries and more than 19 industries.

The prize-winning businesses, professors, universities and students will be honored during the 2019 Flourish Prizes virtual celebration, taking place online the week of May 6–10.

AIM2Flourish is the world’s first higher-education curriculum, story platform and prize for the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and business’ role in achieving them.