Ilitch School students rise to top in 2019 Elevator Pitch Competition

On Friday, Nov. 8, a select group of Wayne State University business students vied for scholarships and bragging rights during the fifth annual Mike Ilitch School of Business Elevator Pitch Competition at Detroit's historic Guardian Building, riding to the top with executive judges from Ally, Deloitte, Detroit Pistons, Enterprise and Google.

Winners were:

  • First place, $1,000, Jenae Lodewyk
  • Second place, $500, Farouk Barakat
  • Third place, $250, Jenna Stafford
  • Top freshman, Julianna Spirou 

The students had the 90-second ride to give an “elevator speech” about themselves, describing their education, skills and career aspirations. They were evaluated on their ability to sell themselves and present a positive, professional first impression. Five finalists then pitched the panel of judges in a boardroom setting. 

The Fall 2019 Elevator Pitch Competition was sponsored by Enterprise and the Mike Ilitch School of Business Alumni Council.

View event photos on our Flickr gallery. View a video recap of this event on our YouTube page.

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