A team of Georgetown students will compete in this year’s third annual Up to Us competition, a nationwide campus program with 44 participating universities and colleges that aims to increase student engagement with the country’s fiscal issues beginning Jan. 26.

The team, led by Erica Tsai (MSB ’17) and composed of members Charles Evain (SFS ’17), Elizabeth Tse (SFS ’17), Nicholas Werner (MSB ’17) and Karl Yee (MSB ’17), is one of 44 groups selected from across the U.S. to implement campaigns that inspire action on the nation’s rising long-term debt.

At the end of the four-week campaigns, a judging panel will assess each team on its effectiveness in increasing student involvement and promoting action. This year’s panel of judges incorporates leaders in government, media, issue advocacy and policy, including Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation Chelsea Clinton.

The winning team will be awarded a $10,000 cash prize and receive recognition from former President Bill Clinton at the upcoming Clinton Global Initiative University 2015 meeting at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., which will take place from March 6 to 8.

Up to Us is essential in developing an understanding of fiscal problems as multifaceted issues, Tsai said.

“The national debt exists; that cannot be disputed,” Tsai wrote in an email to The Hoya. “But there are so many ways of viewing the national debt. Some see it as a burden and a problem that needs to be fixed, but cannot be fixed, while others view it as something that’s actually helped our nation and is an integral part of our economy.”

Tsai emphasized the opportunity that the competition provides for students to have a voice in the fiscal and economic future of the country.

“Here at Georgetown, we have such an educated and active student body,” Tsai wrote. “This competition is really a chance for all these students to pool together their ideas, whether they are conflicting or complimentary.”

Up to Us is organized by the non-profits Net Impact and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation in partnership with the CGI University.

Since the competition’s establishment, the size of the field has doubled each year, from 10 colleges participating in 2013 to 22 in 2014 and finally this year’s 44, according to a press release from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. This is the first year that Georgetown students have participated in the competition.

“Net Impact believes this competition is important because it is much more than just a competition,” Net Impact Program Associate Samantha Ethridge wrote in an email. “It is a high-touch, holistic leadership program where students gain 21st-century skills that empower them to be highly impactful leaders on any issue area they tackle.”

Student teams that represented different universities applied to the competition as a group. Once selected to represent the university, Georgetown’s Up to Us team members received training in campaign management at Net Impact’s November 2014 conference in Minneapolis, Minn. The team members attended brainstorming and speaker sessions as well as met their competitors, according to Tse.

“They [Net Impact] embedded a lot of the training in that conference,” Tse said. “They brought in PR specialists to teach us how to effectively market our campaign. They gave us a lot of ideas about how to run a fun campaign, not just one that’s serious, or political, but one that is educational; and we thought that people at Georgetown would respond well.”

The Georgetown team’s campaign will incorporate giveaways — including a $500 Amazon gift card — informational pamphlets and a pledge signifying awareness of the issue to encourage community engagement. The pledge has acquired 20 signatures out of the desired 1,000 as of press time since its Jan. 26 posting on the team’s Facebook page, according to Tsai.

All teams will take part in My Two Cents Day on Feb. 12, a national day of action aiming to engage a significant proportion of university student bodies in underscoring the urgency of the country’s fiscal problems. The day’s events will include graffiti walls, photo booths, social media posts and further promotion of the pledge.

Net Impact has high expectations for this year’s participating teams, according to Ethridge.

“Ultimately, what we hope to see from this year’s competition is a cohort of students who have a thorough understanding of how their generation can really be a true catalyst for change,” Ethridge wrote. “I hope to see a group of empowered student leaders who will continue to innovate, plan strategically and act collectively to create positive social change on their campus and beyond.”

Tse highlighted the personal benefits the Up to Us competition will bring to the team members and their excitement at participating.