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mission

Founded by Michelle Della Penna, daughter of renowned Indycar driver and team owner John Della Penna, the foundation aims to provide girls aged 5 to 16 with the knowledge, skills, and mentorship to fuel their future in motorsports. With a mission to increase female representation in the industry, the foundation recognizes the importance of providing opportunities for girls to pursue their passion.

2024 Della Penna Summer Fellowships in Sonoma, CA & Charlotte, NC

This summer, the Della Penna Foundation is offering fellowships to two high school girls: one will be with Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA and the other with General Motors in Charlotte, NC. 

 

Mentors from the Foundation will work with you and the host sponsor to map out an exciting week as a Fellow at their offices, Monday - Friday from 9am- 4pm. You'll shadow women in their organization, sit in on meetings and learn all about careers in motorsports. 

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Fellowship #1: General Motors in Charlotte, North Carolina from June 10th-14th, 2024.

Fellowship #2: Sonoma Raceway will be in Sonoma, California from July 22nd-26th, 2024.

 

Deadline for applying to the fellowships is May 10th, 2024. 
Charlotte, NC applicants will be informed of the decision by May17th, 2024.
Sonoma, CA applicants will be informed of the decision by June 28th, 2024.

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Hear's what the girls are saying...

Ana Palestro spends a weekend with Zee Kennedy, Della Penna Driver Advisory Council

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Our scholarship winner Alexandra Peachy checks in with all that has been happening since participating in our program

"I hope you are all doing well.  I have been following the Della Penna Foundation's achievements this past year and it is amazing to see all the successes you have had incorporating women in motorsports! My family and I have been living in Central Florida since August 2023, and I have had the opportunity to get involved with a local FIRST Robotics Competition club.  One of the best parts about my robotics team is that they started a program called “FIRSTLikeAGirl”, a social media campaign designed to inspire more girls to get into STEM and robotics. I will have the opportunity to present at our World Championship in Houston in mid-April. As the recipient of the Della Penna Summer Fellowship in 2023, I got so much inspiration and encouragement from everyone I met. I'm excited to have the opportunity to provide the same to other young girls looking to go into careers in STEM or motorsports. Your organization encouraged me so much through the fellowship last year that it would be great for me to be able to give back and help young girls learn about STEM opportunities and help them pursue their dreams."
-Alexandra Peachy

Follow us on instagram and other socials @dpmnextgen

WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW:

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Della Penna went to Sonoma for the GT World Challenge April 6th

The Della Penna Foundation was delighted to bring a group of local HS girls to Sonoma Raceway Saturday April 6th for an incredible day meeting women in motorsports and watching the GT World Challenge. We startedd at the track at 9 am and spent a couple of hours meeting women who talked about what it's like to be in this $7B industry and all the different kinds of careers that are available.
They included:

Hannah Grisham and Hannah Greenemeier. Hannah Grisham is on the Drivers Advisory Council!

Stefy Bau, world motocross champion and founder of Init Sports who works with girls in everything related to e-sports.

Brandy Falconer who manages marketing, communications.

Michelle Della Penna and many more! After the talks, we watched the afternoon races. 

 

If you're a HS girl in or near Sonoma Raceway and interested in our next event, please reach out to Susan Lucas-Conwell susanlc@dellapennafoundation.org for more information. 

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