NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program visits HU Journalism School for media training - Speedway Digest

Twenty-two multicultural and female stock car drivers are in Hampton Roads to compete for a spot with NASCAR, but not before making at pit stop at Hampton University’s Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications on Oct. 19 and 20, 2015.

Driving for Diversity (D4D), a program created to bring more female and ethnically diverse drivers to NASCAR, has held its combine and time trials at Langley Speedway for 12 years. For several years, the drivers’ visit to the area has included two days spent at Scripps Howard with Journalism and Strategic Communications students for a robust schedule of experiential learning.

“The NASCAR visit is a rich learning experience for students and drivers to gain more first-hand expertise in executing a sophisticated, successful, albeit mock news conference in our state-of –the-art television studio,” said Dr. Battinto Batts, assistant dean, Academic Affairs, Scripps Howard. “Journalism students prepare the set, run cameras and pose questions to the drivers, while the PR students prep the drivers for their media appearance and provide actual news releases and social media outreach to promote each driver. It’s a win-win for all involved.”

BRAND757, a new, student-run PR and brand agency at Scripps Howard, prepared news releases for each of the 22 aspiring NASCAR drivers, which are to be distributed to the drivers’ hometown media.

The NASCAR two-day visit with Scripps Howard spans multiple activities, including student participation at Langley Speedway. Scripps Howard professors leading student engagement efforts include William Leonard, Van Dora Williams, Wayne Dawkins, and Tanya Madison Howard.

Award-winning producers Jerry Brown and Arash Arabasadi of Voice of America (VOA), in conjunction with the Scripps Howard School, will be training a select group of Journalism students on the finer points of news coverage as part of the NASCAR visit. D4D and NASCAR activities will be the backdrop for stories on diversity in the sport. Once the mini-documentaries by the students are complete, they have potential to air on VOA’s global network.

NASCAR EVENTS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC:

§ Monday, Oct. 19, 2015

§ 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Open Air Exhibit

§ Auto simulator, show car, race car drivers, pit crew team, tricycle race, food, drink, music, and more.

§ Outdoor front, Scripps Howard School, 546 E. Queen St., Hampton, Va. 236668

§ Monday, Oct. 19, 2915

§ 12 – 12:45 p.m. – Max Siegel, Guest Speaker and CEO, Max Siegel Inc.

§ Scripps Howard Auditorium

Hampton University PR