Diamond in the Rough

One Student’s Road to NASCAR

MEDIA CONTACT: Cassandra Robinson, crobinson@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-4336

(BOWIE, Md.) – For some, fast cars and revved up engines may be a bit too intimidating. But for one Bowie State University (BSU) graduate student, it’s just what the doctor ordered.

MBA candidate Diamond Kache’ Evans always knew she wanted to pursue a career in sports management after completing her bachelor’s degree in the field at BSU in 2020. When the opportunity presented itself, she went for it. Evans was interning at Urban Youth Racing School when a colleague informed her of the opportunity at NASCAR and she immediately developed an interest in its business structure.

Although a competitive application process, the former collegiate softball player credits her background and experience interning with the Brooklyn Nets and other smaller sports organizations while an undergraduate student at BSU to landing the opportunity.

“After submitting my resume, I followed up to ensure my application was received. I used LinkedIn as an advantage to research positions, and thought about how I could make an impact on the organization,” said Evans. “I applied for the internship in January and heard back in May, and two weeks later I was at NASCAR, which was really exciting. It was confirmation that the culture of NASCAR is changing.”

In May 2021, she landed a prime position on the National Sales Team, an opportunity that would last for three months. She was one of 22 college students who was selected through the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program. In her role, Evans gained experience in partnership marketing, the sales outreach process, and learned about partnership initiatives and sales activation.

 “Every day was different for NASCAR. When you came in, sometimes you had meetings from when you arrived in the morning until the afternoon. You could also be working events or doing a lot of research,” said Evans. “The position itself presented a variety of responsibilities where every day was not the same. However, it was an exciting experience to be able to interact with everyone including industry professionals and build relationships with mentors.”

Evans contends that the most exciting thing about her role was being able to learn about the sales outreach process and observing her managers in action as they formed transactional relationships with partners. She was able to contribute ideas as to how NASCAR could diversify their fan base.

“My proudest moment was being active and proactive on sales calls,” said Evans. “I am very proud that I was able to make an impact and be a voice for women in sports. Knowing that my voice matters in this space is my proudest moment for sure.”

As a first year MBA candidate with a minor in marketing, the Baltimore, Maryland native plans to become involved in sports management after graduation with aspirations of working in the front office in the sports industry. Her entrepreneurial spirit is what led her to pursue an MBA at Bowie State. She’s a part of BSU’s Entrepreneurship Academy and has built her own digital magazine, Diamond Hearted—a purposeful driven business representing men and women in sports, business and entrepreneurship by producing marketing and media content. The digital magazine covers news and interviews of those in the sports industry.

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.