Six high school students have won scholarships as part of the Goodyear Racing and Diversity Program.
During a pre-race ceremony at the Atlanta Motor Speedway this past weekend, Goodyear presented grand prize scholarship winner Alex Stephens, an Atlanta-area high school senior, with a check for $30,000 toward his continuing education. Five other students, each receiving a $2,000 scholarship, are: Adriana Harris, Dover, Del.; Ashli Moore, Dallas, Texas; Desiree Slaughter, Detroit, Mich.; Rodrigo Bernal, Daytona Beach, Fla.; and Stephanie Vasquez, Los Angeles.
The Goodyear Racing and Diversity Program provides minority high school students with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the many career paths offered through the sport of NASCAR, according to Kris Kienzl, Goodyear’s NASCAR marketing manager.
“Goodyear is proud to provide all of our award winners with scholarship money to use toward their continuing education,” says Kienzl. “It was difficult to select just one student to receive our grand award as each of our candidates truly exemplifies the talent and desire required to succeed in their fields of interest.”
Stephens, a senior at Sonoraville High School in Calhoun, Ga. was selected from more than 60 minority high school students who participated in the Goodyear program of at-track experiences and race weekend internships in six NASCAR tracks over the past year.
During his time at Sonoraville, Stephens has excelled as a leader in and out of the classroom. In addition to his strong academics, he is an integral member of SkillsUSA, a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. During his weekend internship in March, Stephens experienced what a career involving engineering, competition/series operations and diversity would entail.
“Because Alex has displayed such passion and determination toward achieving his career goal of working in the motorsports industry, we are especially pleased to provide financial support to help him achieve that dream,” says Kienzl. “At Goodyear, we are proud to say that our tires help NASCAR drivers and fans ‘get there;’ we’re honored to now be able to say the same about Alex.”
In its first year, the Goodyear Racing and Diversity program provided high school students from across the country the chance to experience NASCAR first-hand and receive a behind-the-scenes look at a NASCAR race. Students that participated in these events had to maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average and be in good standing in their school and local community to become eligible for race-weekend internships. Once selected, students were paired with several “mentors” in career areas of interest to them for two six-hour days of work. Students who completed their race-weekend internships were then eligible to apply for the scholarships.
Goodyear says it has endeavored to consistently bring innovation to its racing tires, which, in turn, has helped foster heightened competition on the track. Since it first began supplying tires to NASCAR more than 50 years ago, Goodyear tires have logged over 1,450 Sprint Cup Series victories, and the number continues to rise. According to Kienzl, Goodyear’s consumer tires are “inspired by the innovations and cutting-edge technology from the race track.”
For more information, visit www.goodyeartires.com.
