Audi collaborates with Black Automotive Media Group to offer internship and guest lecture series at Lincoln University

Audi of America is collaborating with the Black Automotive Media Group (BAMG) to launch an internship and guest lecture series at Lincoln University that will introduce students to the global automotive industry.

The internship program named, “The Driving Force,” will provide ten mass communications students with multimedia career development and create opportunities for diverse student talent to engage with automotive manufacturers and other industry suppliers and businesses.

Through the collaboration with Lincoln University, student recipients will experience a 10-week virtual, field-credit internship including training and mentoring sessions focusing on the field of automotive journalism. Audi of America will lend its expertise to students with guest lecturers from Product Planning and Marketing to bring a real-world perspective from the automotive sector to the course curriculum.

“At Audi, we recognize that people of diverse backgrounds, including people of color, are underrepresented and undervalued within the automotive industry. That is why we’ve chosen to collaborate with the Black Automotive Media Group and Lincoln University to sponsor an internship program that will help introduce students of color to the exciting world of auto journalism,” said Tara Rush, Chief Marketing Officer, Audi of America. “We believe that embracing diverse and unique perspectives is the key to discovering new and innovative solutions within the automotive industry and beyond.”

“The Driving Force” internship will be led by respected media experts Kimatni D. Rawlins of Automotive Rhythms Communications, Greg Morrison of Bumper2Bumpertv, and guest host automotive journalists and publishers. Course content will expose interns to possible careers as reporters, videographers, photographers, and digital and social media influencers. Throughout the program, students will practice vehicle review writing and production of YouTube style videos, and will have the opportunity to liaise with industry executives and automotive subject matter experts.

“Our collaboration with Audi of America and Lincoln University marks the second diversity-focused and academic program for BAMG that allows us to extend new opportunities to HBCU students. An internship with automaker Jaguar 25 years ago deeply influenced my pathway, ultimately leading to comprehensive experience and an extensive automotive career. So, to be able to create similar opportunities for African American interns with a strong interest in this field represents another opportunity to give back,” stated BAMG founding member Kimatni D. Rawlins.

Lincoln University, the nation’s first degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU), educates and empowers students to lead their communities and change the world by porividing a rigorous liberal arts education featuring active and collaborative learning. The University educates a diverse student body of approximately 2,100 men and women in more than 40 different undergraduate and graduate programs.

The BAMG is a distinguished group of Black reporters and writers representing over 200 years of combined experience in automotive journalism within radio, television, print, experiential marketing, and social media. BAMG members either work for or own various automotive media platforms. BAMG’s primary objective is to bring equity and equality to Black professionals who work in and around the automotive industry. For additional details regarding “The Driving Force”, please visit AutomotiveRhythms.com.

At Audi of America, we believe the Future is Electric. Our U.S. model lineup will be 30 percent electrified, including fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, by 2025, and globally we are committed to net CO2 neutrality by 2050. In 2020, Audi sold 186,620 vehicles in the U.S., and this year, we look forward to the next chapter in our journey to reinvent premium mobility with the arrivals of the fully electric Audi e-tron GT and Audi Q4 e-tron. Learn more about who we are and how we’re working to create a more electric, innovative, and inclusive future at audiusa.com or media.audiusa.com.