Twenty-Three Selected As NASCAR Diversity
Program Interns
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Twenty-three students from across the United States have been selected to participate in the 2010 NASCAR Diversity Internship program that starts June 1 and gives minority college students the opportunity to complete 10-week, paid summer internships within the NASCAR industry.
Since its inception in 2000, interns have gained experience working in marketing, engineering, public relations, licensing, diversity and public affairs. Participation in the program has led to full-time positions in the industry for a number of past interns.
The program features internships offered by NASCAR offices, sponsors, licensees, teams, tracks and broadcast partners. In addition to NASCAR and Grand-Am corporate offices in Daytona Beach, Fla., Charlotte, N.C., New York, and Los Angeles, the following companies are participating in 2010: Roush Fenway Racing, SPEED, The 909 Group, International Speedway Corporation, Daytona International Speedway, Just Marketing International, Catalyst Public Relations and Octagon."The NASCAR Diversity Internship program has introduced hundreds of students from diverse backgrounds to professional opportunities in NASCAR," said Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR's managing director of public affairs, who oversees the diversity department. "The program has played an important role in NASCAR's efforts to attract the best and brightest to our industry."
The current intern class began their NASCAR experience with an orientation session during All-Star weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The group visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame, NASCAR Research and Development Center, the Sam Bass Art Gallery, Revolution Racing headquarters, and attended the Pit Crew Challenge. In addition, the group met with a number of key people in the NASCAR industry including Cup Series crew members, drivers, and NASCAR executives.
Each year, the internships are available to college sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students across the country. To be eligible, students must be in good standing with their school and community and have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average.
In addition to the internship program, NASCAR awards diversity scholarships in tribute to NASCAR legend Wendell Scott, has an at-track diversity mentorship program and a college tour that visits historically black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions.
More information on the internship program is available at www.nascardiversity.com.
Diversity Internship Program
2010 Interns
| Student and Hometown | School | Internship |
|---|---|---|
| Marvin Aylor (Falls Church, Va.) | Virginia Tech University | NASCAR Automotive Aftermarket (Charlotte) |
| Matthew Bergey (Bristol, Pa.) | Temple University | NASCAR Licensing (Charlotte) |
| Amber Crutchfield (Upper Marlboro, Md.) | Bowie State University | The 909 Group |
| Mathieu El Sokhn (Miami, Fla.) | University of Florida | Grand-Am (Daytona Beach) |
| Carrington Gilbert (Humble, Texas) | Texas A&M University | NASCAR Public Relations (N.Y.) |
| Azalea Hutchins (Chicago) | Clark Atlanta University | NASCAR Corporate Marketing (N.Y.) |
| Marc Jenkins (Lithonia, Ga.) | North Carolina A&T University | NASCAR Weekly & Touring Series (Daytona Beach) |
| Alicia Joiner (Batesville, Miss.) | Southern Mississippi University | NASCAR Series Operations (Daytona Beach) |
| Trevor Joseph (St. Croix, Virgin Islands) | University of Virgin Islands | Just Marketing International |
| Kathryn Lee (Jacksonville, Fla.) | University of Central Florida | NASCAR Human Resources (Daytona Beach) |
| Nicole McAdoo (Elkridge, Md.) | Ithaca College | ISC Marketing |
| Kiah McBride (Greensboro, N.C.) | Howard University | NASCAR Brand & Consumer Marketing (Daytona Beach) |
| Brittany Meyer (New Braunfels, Tex.) | Washington University in St. Louis | NASCAR Public Affairs (Daytona Beach) |
| Mariel Moorer (Lansing, Mich.) | University of Michigan | NASCAR Public Relations (Los Angeles) |
| Brittani Parker (Sharpsburg, N.C.) | Winston-Salem State University N ASCAR Foundation (Charlotte) | |
| Emanuel Reid (Johnson City, Tenn.) | Johnson C. Smith University | NASCAR Diversity (Daytona Beach) |
| CiQuinta "Quinn" Shaw (Gray Court, S.C.) | Johnson C. Smith University | Catalyst Public Relations |
| Michelle Smith (Teaneck, N.J.) | Hampton University | Octagon |
| Priyanka Vohra (Johns Creek, Ga.) | Syracuse University | SPEED |
| Kenisha Webb (Homewood, Ill.) | Wright State University | NASCAR Media Group (Charlotte) |
| Sharna Wilson (New Haven, Conn.) | Bethune Cookman College | Daytona International Speedway |
| Joseph Zak (Atlanta, Ga.) | Morehouse College | NASCAR Diversity (Daytona Beach) |
| Liz Zhou (Livermore, Calif.) | Harvard University | ISC Marketing |
SOURCE: NASCAR
