Elevator Pitch Competition finalists announced

On Friday, Oct. 27, a select group of Wayne State University business students will head to the Guardian Building to vie for $1,750 in scholarship money as they compete in the third annual Mike Ilitch School of Business Elevator Pitch Competition. In one of the city's most historic buildings, they'll practice their opening lines on Detroit executives during the course of a round-trip ride.

After yesterday's semi-final round with faculty judges, the following students have advanced to the final contest:

  • Raymond Thomas
  • Iram Tarar
  • Jenna Stafford
  • Benjamin Sroka
  • Kel Righter
  • Brandon Puente
  • Fatin Oraha
  • Mahmuda Mouri
  • Roddaja Mitchell
  • Ashley Mcadoo
  • Sydney Lockhart
  • Andrew Li
  • Janay Lassiter
  • Natalia Kowalczyk
  • Rivan Khamo
  • Erik Huerta
  • Kaila Hooks
  • Brandon Hejza
  • Jessica He
  • Jad Hamdan
  • David Girjis
  • Maria Franklin
  • Amelia Doree
  • Leif Clark

The students have the 90-second ride to give an elevator pitch about themselves, describing their education, skills and career aspirations. Executives from Deloitte, Fiat Chrysler, Quicken Loans and the Ilitch School's alumni board will evaluate the students on their ability to sell themselves and present a positive, professional first impression. 

The competition begins at 9:30 a.m.; students will participate in several rounds of elevator rides with judges. The top five students after the elevator rounds will pitch all judges in a boardroom setting. Three winners will receive scholarships of $1,000, $500 or $250.

In order to participate, students had to attend one of three mandatory workshops and score high enough in the semi-finals to advance. 

The Elevator Pitch Competition is sponsored by the Mike Ilitch School of Business Alumni Association.

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