Atlanta, GA (October 7) – Six recipients from STEAM Sports Foundation’s scholarship program for female minorities in motorsports/automotive engineering get an up-close-and-in-person look at the race industry Oct. 11-13 at Charlotte Motor Speedway thanks to General Motors.
The Immersion Tour, designed to show the students potential career opportunities in motorsports, will feature stops at the General Motors Research and Technical Center for motorsports as well as race shop operations for both Hendrick Motorsports and Trackhouse Racing. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte will also host the students at its Alan D. Kulwicki Motorsports Lab.
In addition, the foundation will host the students at an Oct. 11 dinner in Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Speedway Club. NASCAR’s Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Brandon Thompsom will address the group.
HBCUgo.TV will have a video crew on site for the weekend. It intends to produce a news program featuring the weekend.
“We realized that engineering students who are interested in the automotive, transportation sector, rarely get opportunities to experience what a career opportunity may look like in motorsports,” said Reggie Humphrey, General Motors’ Director of DEI Operations. “We felt that our world-class research facility in North Carolina along with several of our top tier race operations could give them that experience.”
Attending the Immersion Tour for the weekend will be Arisa Chue of Stanford, Taya Dinkins-Goldsmith of Oakland University, Jada Jenkins of UT-San Antonio, Ximena Garcia-Pena of UNC-Charlotte, Kyndal Newsome of Florida A&M, and Hosanna Worku of the University of Georgia. All the students received a $5,000 scholarship from STEAM Sports Foundation for the 2024-25 academic year.
“We are constantly in search of engineering and computer science talent,” said Alba Colon, Hendrick Motorsports’ Director of Technical Partnerships and board member of STEAM Sports Foundation. “We know that what we do and offer is unique, and what better way to show that than to have these students become immersed in our behind-the-scenes operation.”
“A weekend like this goes a long way in opening doors for women of color who traditionally have not seen or imagined career opportunities within the motorsport ranks,” said Bob Dickinson, the foundation’s director. “We appreciate all that General Motors is doing to provide this type of experience and opportunities.”
About STEAM Sports Foundation
Recognizing workforce and economic development as integral parts of corporate growth, STEAM Sports Foundation works with companies, educators, and sports groups to develop initiatives around science, technology, engineering, arts, and math that impact the world of sports & entertainment. The foundation’s primary focus is on scholarships and career summits in an effort to help create tomorrow’s vibrant workforce. Its “Women of Color” scholarship program in automotive/motorsports engineering provides diversity to a transportation industry that is ever-changing via innovation and technology with individuals who traditionally did not consider these career paths simply because they saw few who looked like them in the industry. To date, the foundation has provided fourteen $5,000 scholarships to female minorities.
Donations can be made via PayPal. ACH transfers are available. Benevity registered.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
770-815-0125
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