Quarter Plus Student Wins Elevator Pitch Competition
The Communication Studies Department is proud to announce that one of the winners of Cal Poly’s 10th annual Elevator Pitch Competition was Alexandra Joelson, a student who took Coms 101 (Public Speaking) during the most recent Quarter Plus summer 2019 program.
Three students received awards as winners in this competition during November 2019. Alexandra Joelson, a first-year business student at Cal Poly, and Tyler Little, a film student from Allan Hancock College, both won the top awards receiving $1,000. In addition, Clara Taegan Brechtel, a biomedical engineering senior at Cal Poly won a $500 “audience choice” award.
Of special note, Alexandra Joelson recently participated in Quarter Plus. The Cal Poly Quarter Plus program provides an intensive academic opportunity for incoming freshmen to accelerate their academic studies and begin their college experience during the late summer. This four-week program includes enrollment in 8 units of academic coursework. Social activities and the opportunity to become familiar with campus life and the San Luis Obispo community are added benefits. One of the courses Alexandra completed during this program was Public Speaking.
The Elevator Pitch Competition allows both undergraduate and graduate students to share product ideas, innovative services, or a startup plan at any stage of development. Alexandra originally heard about the competition through the Cal Poly Entrepreneurs Club. In her pitch, she discussed Intego Sportswear, "which is a company that seeks to provide athletes with hassle-free, inexpensive, and protective gear for their sports equipment, starting with The Cleat Guard, a silicone-like mold that slips onto the bottom of any cleat to prevent the pegs on the bottom of the cleats from wearing down." For a full summary of the event, visit the Cal Poly News Page.
Alexandra notes that she was able to use the resources and networking opportunities provided by the Cal Poly Entrepreneurs club to find out information about the event and practice with peers. In addition, she also presented a short informative speech on performing elevator pitches during her Coms 101 Public Speaking class. In reflecting on her presentation, Alexandra explains that “I think having experience with public speaking and doing pitches in the past gave me the confidence to get up there on stage and present myself and my company with passion.” Congratulations to Alexandra, Tyler, and Clara for their winning pitches!