Now in its second year, the Black Automotive Media Group internship program, dubbed “The Driving Force,” exposes students to career opportunities in the automobile industry, including automobile manufacturers, automobile multimedia, and other automobile industry suppliers and businesses.
A unique partnership has been created for students interested in exploring myriad career opportunities within the automobile industry. Through the Black Automotive Media Group (BAMG), students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) participate in The Driving Force (TDF), a 10-week, virtual, field-credit internship comprising training and mentoring sessions. While this course is supported by automobile manufacturers seeking diverse talent pipelines for future employment within their companies, participating students also learn about auto industry career opportunities at the multimedia, sales, marketing, and supplier levels.
For the Spring, 2022 academic semester, TDF welcomes students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. More importantly, this internship would not be possible without the forward thinking and support of Audi of America, based in Herndon, Virginia.
“Our collaboration with North Carolina A&T State University and Audi marks the 6th academic curriculum with HBCUs that allows us to extend new opportunities to minority students,” said BAMG founding member Kimatni D. Rawlins. “The Driving Force will continue to help shape career pathways for talented interns while offering more perspective on the automotive industry’s various fields.”
TDF evolved following a series of discussions between automakers and BAMG members in 2020. While those conversations began with an effort to improve the diversity and inclusion of African American journalists covering the industry, the opportunity presented itself to help prepare the next generation of automobile industry professionals.
“Audi of America is proud to partner with the Black Automotive Media Group in support of these incredible students at North Carolina A&T University,” said Tara Rush, Audi of America chief marketing officer. “We believe our commitment to an inclusive and equitable workplace means not only increasing awareness for career opportunities within the automotive industry, but also building additional pathways for diverse student talent to gain experience in the industry through programs like this.”
The program is led by respected automotive media experts Kimatni D. Rawlins of Automotive Rhythms Communications, publisher Teia B. Collier, and media guru Marcus Amick.
“We are grateful and thrilled that our students have the opportunity to learn, practice and grow in such an important industry. We are forever indebted to the BAMG for their vision and inviting us into their fold,” said Robbie R. Morganfield, Ph.D., Interim Chair.
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About North Carolina A&T University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is the nation’s largest historically Black university, as well as its top ranked (Money magazine, Best Colleges). It is a land-grant, doctoral university, classified as “high research” by the Carnegie Foundation and a constituent member of the University of North Carolina System. A&T is known for its leadership in producing graduates in engineering, agriculture and other STEM fields. The university was founded in 1891 and is located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
About Audi of America
At Audi of America, we believe the Future is Electric. By 2025, our U.S. model lineup will be 30 percent electrified, including fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Globally, we are committed to net CO2 neutrality by 2050. In 2021, Audi sold 196,038 vehicles in the U.S. and more fully electric models than ever before, with electric vehicle deliveries up by more than 50% over 2020. Learn more about who we are and how we’re working to create a more sustainable, innovative, and inclusive future at audiusa.com or media.audiusa.com.
About the Black Automotive Media Group
The Black Automotive Media Group is a distinguished group of African American reporters and writers representing over 200 years of combined experience in automotive journalism within radio, television, print, experiential marketing, and social media. BAMG members either work for or own various automotive media platforms with a primary objective to bring equity to Black professionals who work within the automotive industry. For additional details regarding The Driving Force HBCU program, please visit AutomotiveRhythms.com.
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