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.
​
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.
​
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=link and her team at the Raceway who manage 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.
Hear's what the girls are saying...
Ana Palestro spends a weekend with Zee Kennedy, Della Penna Driver Advisory Council
Michelle grew up on the track alongside her father, often being the only girl there. John Della Penna was a renowned Indycar driver and team owner who immigrated to the United States from Argentina at the age of 20 with the dream of racing cars. He understood the incredible sacrifices and deep financial investments that motorsport demands. After a successful career as an entrepreneur, Michelle decided it was time to change the industry. In 2021, she founded the Della Penna Foundation, whose mission is to empower girls with the knowledge, skills, and mentorship to fuel a future in motorsports, whether behind the wheel, on the pit road, in the front office, or in the research labs.
Why girls from 5 to 16 years old and why now?
"If you don't see it, you can't be it" and there are very few women in prominent positions.
Statistics show that between the ages of 9 and 16, girls drop out of STEM classes and close the door on a future in technology.
Follow us on instagram and other socials @dpmnextgen
_JPG.jpg)
WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW:
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR GIVING TUESDAY DONORS
Heartfelt thanks to our community's generous donations on Giving Tuesday. They enabled us to offer five scholarships in 2024 to high school girls in Indianapolis! Stay tuned for updates on the Grand Prix Scholarships and development programs.
