{"id":12394,"date":"2026-06-30T10:41:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/?p=12394"},"modified":"2026-06-30T10:41:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:41:31","slug":"eagle-grad-revving-up-sports-management-career-with-nascar-internship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/2026\/06\/30\/eagle-grad-revving-up-sports-management-career-with-nascar-internship\/","title":{"rendered":"Eagle Grad Revving up Sports Management Career with NASCAR Internship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Trishell Kimani (\u201925), Georgia Southern wasn\u2019t just a school, it was the green flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The daughter of Kenyan immigrants, Kimani knew her career path would look different from what her family expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing has been handed to us at all,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m going into an industry that my parents don\u2019t know anything about. I was starting something new in our family. So I was motivated to just do it and to see more people like me do it. I don\u2019t know any Kenyan girls who are doing what I\u2019m doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kimani recently completed the NASCAR Next Internship Program, which is a hands-on opportunity for college students and recent graduates to gain real-world experience in the motorsports industry. Her work included working in NASCAR\u2019s growth, engagement and inclusion teams, where she helped coordinate intern programming and executive meetings, including with NASCAR\u2019s then Commissioner Steve Phelps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Launched in 2000, the internship program places students in various roles such as business, engineering, communications and broadcasting. Participants work alongside NASCAR professionals and mentors to develop their skills and explore careers in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kimani didn\u2019t use the fast lane to begin her journey in the auto-racing world. She discovered NASCAR through the Black Sports Business Symposium, a networking event aimed at helping Black professionals break into the sports industry. Despite initially knowing nothing about the sport and facing early rejections, she stayed persistent by maintaining connections through LinkedIn, and using each opportunity to build a strong network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Out of 4,600 applicants, she was one of 40 to be selected. If you ask her, she\u2019ll say she\u2019s never been one to shy away from harsh competition. Long before NASCAR entered the picture, Kimani was competing in and developing a love of sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did sports throughout my life,\u201d Kimani said. \u201cI did both competitive and regular cheer for 19 years and played volleyball for three years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her passion extended beyond playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI loved helping athletes on the field,\u201d she added. \u201cI was always a water girl because I\u2019m a football fanatic. At first, I wanted to be a physical therapist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to personal connections and persuasion, she moved away from dreams in the medical tent, but never left the sidelines. When Kimani arrived at Georgia Southern\u2019s Statesboro campus in 2021 in the sport management program, she didn\u2019t know she\u2019d leave four years later as a rising star in the sports industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce I stepped on that campus, it felt like home,\u201d Kimani said. \u201cThat was a big thing that I wanted. I wanted to make sure that wherever I was going, it was going to feel like a place where I could call home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While pursuing her degree with a concentration in sports marketing and revenue generation, Kimani threw herself into nearly every opportunity the University offered. She joined GATA Productions, gained experience as a sideline reporter for ESPN+ and worked behind the scenes as a producer, assistant director and camera operator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kimani also worked as an on-field emcee with the Georgia Southern Athletic marketing team, engaging fans through interactive promotions. She balanced her time with involvement in several student organizations, including the Georgia Southern chapter of the National Council of Negro Women, the University Programming Board and Sisters with Vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said those groups not only shared her values, but were also her way of staying active on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGeorgia Southern is like a small town, and it\u2019s growing,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to make sure that I was active there and connecting with people. I was always scheduling networking meetings and building relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For her family, sports was a spectator experience, not a career path. But they never questioned her commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t have to explain how hard I was working because they saw the work ethic,\u201d Kimani said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That hard work, plus the willingness to walk up to people, ask questions and build connections, is paying off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know that you have to put in the work for your resume to look a certain way,\u201d she said. \u201cIf Georgia Southern didn\u2019t have the opportunities that they had, then I wouldn\u2019t be able to shape my resume the way it is. I\u2019m so grateful for that place. And I will forever be an Eagle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Jacob Notermann<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Trishell Kimani (\u201925), Georgia Southern wasn\u2019t just a school, it was the green flag. The daughter of Kenyan immigrants, Kimani knew her career path would look different from what her family expected. \u201cNothing has been handed to us at all,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m going into an industry that my parents don\u2019t know anything about. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":9937,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[91,92],"class_list":["post-12394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","tag-fall-2025","tag-spring-2026"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t