Policy Pitch Competition

Being able to quickly and effectively convince others to follow your recommended course of action is a powerful and marketable skill.  Undergraduate students tested their persuasive speaking skills in a public policy setting in our first ever Policy Pitch Competition on November 17, 2021.

The top submissions to our Policy Pitch Competition presented their topics in five minute formats, promoting a specific public policy of their choosing, from local to international in scope. A panel of judges, including Dwayne Barnes from the Michigan League for Public Policy, selected three winners from the finalists.

Congratulations to

• First place: Penny Kane presented, "Eliminating College Admission Barriers for Formerly Incarcerated Citizens upon Their Reentry." (pictured center)
• Second place: Shouryan Nikam presented, "Eliminate Michigan’s Subminimum Wage." (pictured right)
• Third place: Hassan Ibrahim presented, "Requiring some Computer Science Education in Public Schooling." (pictured left)

Thank you to our donor and sponsors of the event.

Prizes for competition winners funded by Dr. Stanley Sorscher (pictured left) through a gift to the UM-Dearborn External Relations Support Fund.

The fund supports student interactions with Michigan State Legislators to discuss the need for investment in higher education at the state level, and other activities such as the Policy Pitch Competition.

Sponsors:

• Michigan League for Public Policy ... check out the League's Guide to Effective Advocacy
• Department of Social Sciences
• Office of External Relations
• College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters