From left: Newhouse students Sophia Volz, Rebecca Lipset, Emilie Oestreicher, Carolyn Ellis and Paige Wyant. Team member Katie Huang is seen on the laptop after joining by Zoom. (Photo provided by Wyant)
Newhouse Students Win National Uber One Pitch Competition
Six Syracuse University students won a national pitch competition to design Uber’s next on-campus Uber One experience, with the global ride-sharing and delivery tech company bringing the victorious racing-themed concept to campus Friday.
The Syracuse students competed against teams from 13 other universities, including the University of Southern California, the University of Texas and Penn State University. The winning students all attend the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in the following programs:
- Advertising: Carolyn Ellis ’28 and Katie Huang ’27
- Public relations: Rebecca Lipset ’28, Emilie Oestreicher ’28, Sophia Volz ’28 and Paige Wyant ’27
The competition was organized for an Uber back-to-school campaign through Home From College, a professional development and networking platform that connects brands with college students.
The Newhouse team’s idea, “The One Garage,” took its thematic cues from Formula One racing. They went through an initial round of pitching before getting an opportunity to present their campaign to Uber, which selected their entry.
The company developed the concept into the “One Crew” theme, including a racing simulator, merchant rewards, a photo booth, gift bags and an Uber One sign-up station.
The Oct. 2 stop at Syracuse runs from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. on the Quad in front of Sims Hall and is open to all students who sign up for a free year of the Uber One membership.
It’s the latest destination on Uber One’s nationwide tour of campuses, following stops at Ohio State University, the University of Wisconsin, Purdue University and Indiana University.
