Austin Halbert, UNC Charlotte

Austin Halbert entered UNC Charlotte in fall 2011 as a Levine Scholar who wanted to gain a background in business to address social problems. He worked with other student entrepreneurs to explore models for connecting homeless people in Charlotte to nonprofit organizations that could help address their needs, and directs numerous social entrepreneurship projects as the president of Enactus UNC Charlotte. By combining research on social issues with creative business-based solutions, Mr. Halbert has explored ways of addressing the needs of people both locally and globally. The merit of Mr. Halbert’s ideas was recognized when he was chosen to present a paper at the Education without Borders Conference in Dubai, spring 2013. His research focused on an assessment of online education and its potential to advance systems in the developing world, and creating ideas to make technology and education more accessible in remote areas. He continues to explore ways to fund workforce development, and to provide leadership and entrepreneurial training to students at the high school and college level. As a management major and economics minor, Mr. Halbert has interned with Unilever North America and at the Democratic National Convention, and continues to explore innovative ways to alleviate suffering.