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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WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW:
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.