{"id":14182,"date":"2026-09-18T08:16:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T13:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&#038;p=14182"},"modified":"2026-09-18T08:16:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T13:16:25","slug":"uw-parkside-graduate-student-anita-robertson-captures-top-honors-at-statewide-wisys-quick-pitch-competition","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-parkside-graduate-student-anita-robertson-captures-top-honors-at-statewide-wisys-quick-pitch-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Parkside graduate student Anita Robertson captures top honors at statewide WiSys Quick Pitch Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/09\/PKS_Quick-Pitch-State-Final-2026.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"770\" height=\"482\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/09\/PKS_Quick-Pitch-State-Final-2026.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: University of Wisconsin\u2013Parkside graduate student Anita Robertson earned statewide recognition at the 2026 WiSys Quick Pitch State Final, winning both the First Place Award and the audience-selected People\u2019s Choice Award during the annual WiSys SPARK Symposium at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.\" class=\"wp-image-14183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/09\/PKS_Quick-Pitch-State-Final-2026.jpg 770w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/09\/PKS_Quick-Pitch-State-Final-2026-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/09\/PKS_Quick-Pitch-State-Final-2026-768x481.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Kenosha, Wis<\/strong>. \u2014 University of Wisconsin\u2013Parkside graduate student Anita Robertson earned statewide recognition at the 2026 WiSys Quick Pitch State Final, winning both the First Place Award and the audience-selected People\u2019s Choice Award during the annual WiSys SPARK Symposium at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Competing against some of the top student innovators from across the Universities of Wisconsin system, Robertson\u2019s standout presentation secured both honors and a total of $850 in prize money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the WiSys Quick Pitch Competition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The WiSys Quick Pitch Competition challenges students from across the Universities of Wisconsin system to present their research in clear, engaging, three-minute presentations designed for a general audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students first compete in campus-level contests before advancing to the statewide finals at the WiSys SPARK Symposium, an annual event that brings together more than 200 students, faculty members, industry professionals, and community partners to celebrate research, innovation, and collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Research Focused on Empowering Milwaukee Youth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Robertson\u2019s award-winning presentation, \u201cEmpowering Milwaukee\u2019s Youth: A Strategic Model for Community-Based Mentorship,\u201d introduced a practical framework aimed at addressing opportunity gaps facing young people in urban communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research centers on three key areas designed to support long-term youth success:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Academic Support and Education: Creating pathways for sustained academic achievement and engagement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Professional Development: Providing career readiness skills and workforce preparation opportunities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Community Connection: Strengthening local support networks that foster personal growth and long-term success.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are incredibly proud of Anita\u201d said Robertson\u2019s faculty advisor Kelli Stein. \u201cShe consistently demonstrated excellence throughout her MBA studies. Her ability to communicate the impact of her research in a clear and compelling way made her recognition at the WiSys Quick Pitch State Final especially well-deserved, and this recognition highlights her thoughtful approach to research and her ability to turn ideas into meaningful impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Demonstrating the Momentum of UW-Parkside<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Robertson\u2019s dual victory highlights the strength of UW-Parkside\u2019s graduate programs and the value of faculty mentorship in advancing research that addresses real-world challenges. Her success reflects the university\u2019s commitment to developing innovative, community-focused solutions that make a meaningful difference throughout Southeast Wisconsin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To learn more about our graduate programs visit:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwp.edu\/learn\/programs\/#grad-programs\">https:\/\/www.uwp.edu\/learn\/programs\/#grad-programs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Written by UW-Parkside<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Link to original story: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwp.edu\/explore\/media\/wisys-quick-pitch-competition-winner\/\">https:\/\/www.uwp.edu\/explore\/media\/wisys-quick-pitch-competition-winner\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kenosha, Wis. \u2014 University of Wisconsin\u2013Parkside graduate student Anita Robertson earned statewide recognition at the 2026 WiSys Quick Pitch State Final, winning both the First Place Award and the audience-selected People\u2019s Choice Award during the annual WiSys SPARK Symposium at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Competing against some of the top student innovators from across [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":14183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[105],"story_category":[147,148,150,146],"class_list":["post-14182","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-parkside","story_category-community","story_category-economy","story_category-featured","story_category-research-innovation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/14182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=14182"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=14182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}