Mandy Hauck ‘09 with NASCAR driver Casey Mears.

For many college students, securing the perfect internship can feel like a competitive race. For Mandy Hauck ’09, her perfect internship was about the race—the NASCAR race, that is.

Hauck, whose mother is Puerto Rican, was one of 19 students selected from across the country to take part in the 2008 NASCAR Diversity Internship Program. The program gives minority college students the opportunity to intern with NASCAR through a 10-week, paid summer program.

Hauck, a communication studies major with minors in professional writing and sociology, interned with NASCAR’s Partnership and Corporate Marketing division in their New York City offices. Every day, Hauck traveled an hour and a half by train and subway from her hometown of Rockaway to the NASCAR offices—a lengthy commute, though one that was well worth it, she said.

“The experience was wonderful,” Hauck said. “I can’t believe how much I learned. I feel so confident to go on interviews knowing that I can tell them that I have experience with NASCAR marketing. For someone who is not a marketing major, this internship has proved invaluable in terms of broadening my skills and overall career scope.”

Hauck also helped out in the departments of public relations, multimedia marketing, and regional marketing. Much of her work dealt with researching and preparing presentations for existing and potential sponsors, as well as writing for the company’s Web site and internal publications.

“NASCAR is a sponsor-driven sport. It’s great because I feel like the work I did actually benefitted the sport in some way,” Hauck said.

The most exciting part of the experience for Hauck was traveling to Charlotte, NC, for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Weekend, where she met other interns in the program and experienced everything that goes into making NASCAR happen.

Hauck with driver Greg Biffle.

“I felt like a kid in a huge candy store,” she said. “I met some incredible people who have the coolest jobs. I even got the chance to meet some of my favorite NASCAR drivers!”

Hauck said she owes her preparedness for the internship to her TCNJ professors.

“Without the lessons of Professors Suzanne Carbonaro and Christopher Klim, I would not have been so prepared to handle this internship,” she said. “I have been remarkably blessed to have crossed paths with some incredible professors who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help me and other students succeed.”