By BW Staff
Scottsdale, Arizona — November 8, 2017 — Female NASCAR racer Julia Landauer has signed on as an official partner of the TechForce Foundation in a bid to encourage diversity within the sector.
The successful race car driver will join forces with the foundation’s FutureTech Success campaign, which aims to drive tomorrow’s workforce of transportation technicians by repositioning the image of the profession.
The campaign provides middle and high-school students and their parents opportunities to experience automotive and motorsports technology, as well as encouraging diverse background to enter the field.
She will work with the foundation as an Ambassador through media appearances, public service announcements, and fundraising efforts to inform and inspire young individuals seeking to pursue careers in the field of transportation tech.
The initiative is something Landauer is passionate about. Since graduating from Stanford University with a degree in science, technology, and society, she has made it her goal to encourage others to enter the industry she loves.
“Some people are a great fit for suit and tie careers and others are built to build – to work with their hands. We are all wired differently,” explained the 25-year-old. “That’s the message TechForce is projecting through FutureTech Success and why I am so excited to be an ambassador of the cause.”
“It is so important for young people to discover early on what they click with, and for their parents and other authority figures to provide them with the tools, opportunities, and support to develop those gifts and build exciting futures.”
Landauer is the highest finishing woman in K&N Series history (a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR), and the only auto racer on this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 list. She said this helps her to understand the hard work and dedication requires for success.
“We should all have an underdog mentality that forces us to stick with it, make it work, and see it through. That’s how you win,” she said.
Through her work with TechForce Foundation, Landauer said she seeks to instill this mentality in today’s youth, encouraging them to “pursue greatness” both for themselves, and for the industry in which they will become the lifeblood.
Landauer is an advocate for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (S.T.E.M), and hopes to see more diversity in what she said is a “white male-dominated field.”
Through FutureTech SuccessTM, TechForce seeks to break down those barriers, equipping every child with the information and tools necessary to pursue success in the industry.
Jennifer Maher, CEO of TechForce Foundation, added: “With an entire career of experience advocating for more involvement in racing and tech under her belt, Julia is a perfect partner to work with TechForce Foundation and its FutureTech Success initiative. Together, we’re on track to make a huge difference in the lives of future technicians.”
More information about the initiative can be found on the TechForce Foundation website at techforcefoundation.org.
