Scholarship Recipients Head to NHRA Weekend in Charlotte STEAM Sports Foundation’s Fourth “Immersion Tour”

Atlanta, GA (Sept. 17) – Nine aspiring female engineers seeking careers in the motorsports or auto industry descend on Concord, NC this weekend for the NHRA’s 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ZMax Dragway. Eight of the students are recipients of a STEAM Sports Foundation scholarship, ranging from $5,000-$10,000, to help further development toward their career goals.

The college students are Yassine Coulibaly (Cornell), Jayda Jenkins (UT-San Antonio), Caroline Johnson (Cal-Berkeley), Tanmaee Ledalla (Purdue), Kyndal Newsome (Florida A&M), London Parker (Kettering), Kelly Song (Purdue), Fatou Tunkara (Georgia Tech), and Najatte Yahaya (North Carolina A&T).

One central activity in which the students will engage is the NHRA’s Youth and Education Services (Y.E.S.) program. The NHRA will host more than 1,000 local technical school students to a Friday morning at-track presentation. The NHRA’s Y.E.S. program was established in 1989 to connect students with career opportunities in motorsports and STEM fields.

In addition, Antron Brown Motorsports, NHRA’s technical team, and Tony Stewart Racing will host the foundation’s students, giving them an up-close-and-personal look inside the world of drag racing.

While in Concord, the college students will also spend time at Hendrick Motorsports and the GM Technical and Research Center for motorsports.

“These students have excelled in the classroom,” said Bob Dickinson, the foundation’s founder who has now organized four tours for students to Charlotte and Detroit. “The Immersion Tour gives them an opportunity to gain experience first-hand about the intricacies and challenges involved to become a motorsports engineer. They can’t get this in the classroom.”

For more information about the scholarship recipients: https://conta.cc/40WbJ81

About STEAM Sports Foundation

Recognizing workforce and economic development as integral parts of corporate growth, STEAM Sports Foundation collaborates 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 career development focus is on scholarships and summits to help create tomorrow’s vibrant workforce. Its scholarship program in motorsports and/or automotive engineering for under-represented communities provides opportunities 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.