A small group of Texas Tech students heard about a challenge issued to universities across the U.S. and they wanted in, but there was a huge hurdle.

The Tibetan Challenge was issued for collegiate teams to submit a business plan that would provide Tibetan refugees exiled in India a way to prosper, despite their plight.

Texas Tech students Benjamin Jarvis, Caleb Fisher, Saba Nafees, Tailor Brown and Stephanie Deleon wanted to submit a business plan of their own only to find out that Texas Tech was not a university that would be accepted.

The Texas Tech crew remained undaunted. They talked with, emailed and otherwise hung in there until they were granted the invite to submit their business plan as a "wild card."

Well, the group not only submitted a business plan for the challenge, but they took first place!

The team traveled to New York City for the presentation of the team's plan to a panel of judges including His Holiness, The Dalai Lama.

Caleb Fisher said that being West Texans may have contributed to scoring first place. He said that the team's passion and compassion for the project, as well as their "laid back and relaxed" style of presentation, definitely contributed to the win. It didn't hurt they also created a great plan for Tibetan refugees.

Congratulations to these amazing young people who have want to not only make a difference locally, but on a global scale.

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