IDEAS Cohort Elevator Pitch Workshop

Every month the IDEAS (Individuals with Disabilities Engaging for Academic Success) project provides a space for UW students with disabilities to connect with each other and foster relationships based on similar experiences.

In January, cohort members were provided resources on how to create an “elevator pitch.” An elevator pitch is a tailored summary of a person’s skills and goals that can be used when interacting with potential employers or other networking opportunities. It’s called an elevator pitch because it is short and concise enough to be conveyed on an elevator ride! To utilize and practice their elevator pitches, students were encouraged to attend the Diversity Career Fair at the UW Seattle campus later that month.

For more information on how to run an elevator pitch event, read “The Elevator Pitch Contest: A Promising Practice for Preparing STEM Students with Disabilities for Employment” (www.uw.edu/doit/elevator-pitch-contest-promising-practice-preparing-stem...).

Funding for this project was provided through a Diversity and Inclusion Seed Grant from the UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity. These grants support projects for institutional transformation across the UW’s tri-campus community that align with the goals of the 2017-2021 UW Diversity Blueprint.

For more information about the IDEAS project, see the IDEAS announcement in the October 2018 issue of DO-IT News or contact me at kayladb@uw.edu.