The 9th annual Elevator Pitch Competition helped students practice interview skills and awarded $1750 in scholarship funds
On Friday, October 27, 2023 at the Renaissance Center twenty students at the Mike Ilitch School of Business gathered to compete in the final round of the 9th annual Elevator Pitch Competition for their chance to win a share of $1,750 in scholarship money.
The Elevator Pitch Competition is held every year to help students learn interview skills by pitching a prospective employer about their skills and career goals all in the time it takes to ride the Renaissance Center elevator from top to bottom. This year the competition was made possible by generous support from the Mike Ilitch School of Business Alumni Council.
One hundred students attended the workshops to learn about crafting their pitches and fifty made it to the semi-finals where that number went down to twenty attending the finals. Only three students walked away with the scholarship money.
Those three students were Julia Bryant a global supply chain management major who placed third, Lisa Jerome a management major who placed second, and Tharunika Thavani Vasudevan a global supply chain management major who took home first prize.
After receiving her award, Thavani Vasudevan said that “this award is life changing, because it’s the first time I’ve ever stepped out of my comfort zone. I’ve never done an individual competition, so this has shown me that I can do this, and I am capable.”
While the scholarship money is certainly a great prize, every student who competed learned practical skills for career readiness and will be better prepared for the next time they find themselves next to a CEO on the elevator.
-Patrick Bernas, Information Officer III
