WSSU senior learning all things NASCAR as marketing intern
If there’s one thing Winston-Salem State University senior Ayanna Tewolde has learned, it’s the importance of networking and relationship building.
Tewolde is spending her summer as a marketing intern with Team Penske as part of NASCAR’s Diversity and Inclusion Program. She’s learning about all things NASCAR and INDYCAR as well as the International Motor Sports Association and the World Endurance Championship.
“This experience has allowed me to get hands-on experience of everything marketing related,” she said. She has worked in the departments of partnerships, sponsorships, licensing, branding and retail.
“I have also learned just how important relationships are in the marketing space and ensuring that these relationships are honest, beneficial and interpersonal, especially face to face,” she said.
Among her myriad of responsibilities were changing out sponsor hats for each race, creating shot lists for the races, organizing photos, assisting with mid-year reports, packaging orders, assisting in the gift shop and providing tours to guests.
She’s also had the opportunity to meet some popular drivers to include WSSU student Rajah Caruth, 2024 NASCAR Craftsman truck series winner, and Ryan Blaney, 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
The Raeford native is majoring in sport management. It was networking that put Tewolde on a path to her first internship. While a freshman, she said she was fortunate to have one of her professors, Dr. Rennae Stowe, allow her to observe a case study among sport management students. She was the only freshman in attendance.
While there, she met some influential individuals in the sports industry, which led to her first internship with Sports Biz Careers.
Tewolde has been a part of game day operations and the E-sports Gaming Club, of which she was vice president. She was also a member of the Campus Activities Board, the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and is a Simon Green Atkins Scholar Society, where she served as treasurer and head of social media.
Tewolde has also served as a marketing intern for WSSU Career Development Services, where she has been a great team player and diligent in her work, said William Gibson, coordinator of employer relations for Career Development Services.
“Ayanna’s internship with NASCAR is an amazing opportunity for her to gain invaluable real-world experience and apply what she has learned in the classroom. Her story of grit and determination has been inspiring, and I am proud of the work she is doing as a marketing intern for NASCAR Team Penske.”
Career Development Services is committed to its strategic plan, specifically in fostering student success. “We are deeply focused on connecting students to experiential learning opportunities that enhance their academic and professional journeys,” he said.
Tewolde aspires to secure a full-time position with the Carolina Panthers or Team Penske, and to earn her master’s degree in marketing. Long term, she hopes to one day work for the NBA.
“Had it not been for WSSU, I would not have been able to meet all the amazing individuals in my life who have contributed to my success from this university and the opportunities they offer,” she said.
She knew when she first toured WSSU that it felt like where she was supposed to be. She had heard about WSSU’s “great sport management program, which proved to be the best as I have been given some great opportunities through the program and the people in it,” she said.
“The instant family feeling with what is known as the ‘Ramily’ cannot be missed,” she said.
