RELATED
- Goodyear tires rate 'Best Buy' recognition in Consumers Digest polling and tests
- New Obama limo moves the President forward on Goodyear tires
|
As the exclusive tire supplier of NASCAR’s three largest racing series, Goodyear has kicked off its second year of hosting race-weekend interns for the Goodyear Racing and Diversity Program, an initiative the company started to provide high school students with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the many career paths offered through the NASCAR circuit.
The program, offered in six areas including Daytona Beach, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit and Dover, Del., has provided minority students over the past two years with a graduated program of at-track experiences, internships and, ultimately, the opportunity to receive one of six scholarships to help continue their education.
As part of this year’s educational endeavor, Goodyear has introduced its first two 2009 season race weekend internship recipients, Kayla Lee and Gabriel Bernal. The two, both students at Mainland High School, began work in their fields of interest with established professionals on Feb. 14 — leading into the NASCAR Nationwide Series Race and culminating in Sunday’s running of the 51st Daytona 500.
“For the 2009 NASCAR season, Goodyear is proud to once again offer deserving high school students a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the wide variety of career opportunities available through the sport of NASCAR,” says Kris Kienzl, Goodyear’s NASCAR marketing manager.
“Thanks to our longstanding, uninterrupted involvement with NASCAR, we are able to provide an inside look at career paths from engineering and design to marketing and promotions, with mentors from all over the sport, whether from NASCAR, individual race teams, tracks or Goodyear,” Kienzl adds.
In its second year of hosting race weekend interns, the Goodyear Racing and Diversity Program has provided more than 100 students from across the country the chance to experience NASCAR firsthand and receive a behind-the-scenes look at a NASCAR race.
Students participating in these events had to maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and be in good standing in their school and local community to become eligible to apply for race-weekend internships. Once selected, students are paired with one or more “mentors” in career areas of interest to them for two, six-hour days of work.
Those students who complete their race-weekend internships are then eligible to apply for one of six scholarships — including four $2,000 awards and two $15,000 scholarships — to be used toward their continuing education.
Both Lee and Bernal attended the Winn Dixie 250 in Daytona Beach last July with other area students, receiving a behind-the-scenes tour of the pits and Goodyear Racing’s tire operations plus watching the race from the stands. All students attending the race-weekend were eligible to submit applications for a race-day internship.
“Kayla and Gabriel were selected on the strength of their school records and extra-curricular activities as well as the recommendations of their teachers,” says Kienzl.
For more information, visit www.goodyeartires.com.
