Kimatni Rawlins’ ‘The Driving Force’ Internship Helps HBCU Students Become Automotive Industry Leaders

The internship program helps HBCU students succeed in different automotive industry spaces.

A number of HBCU students are driving into success thanks to a robust internship program, “The Driving Force,” driven by Black Automotive Media Group (BAMG).

Launched in 2020, the automotive internship program focuses on educating students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities on potential career opportunities in the automotive industry—but in roles such as marketing, communications, PR, and media. In the past five years, BAMG has welcomed over 300 students into the program, partnering with industry giants like Audi, Volkswagen, and Ford.

The coalition was founded by Kimatni Rawlins, a second-generation automotive magazine publisher of Automotive Rhythms.

Early in his career, Rawlins recognized a gap in securing opportunities for the next generation in the automotive industry. “So we formed this coalition of seven journalists, then out of that came an opportunity to create career opportunities and new talent. So we said HBCUs rarely receive the resources from automotive unless it’s one of the bigger schools,” Rawlins tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.

After that, it became “why don’t we create an internship program, showcase these students the various opportunities in the industry because you have marketing PR communications —all of these different avenues that they really weren’t thinking of as opportunities…even social media.”

This year, 18 students were accepted from Morgan State in Baltimore and 12 students from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. With each student comes a different driving force for what they hope to gain out of their 10-week internship.

A&T student Malachi Fuller says the program has helped him gain experience and explore career options but “a key takeaway from the internship is that my degree doesn’t limit me,” the Aggie tells BE. “Instead, it opens up a world of possibilities, allowing me to pursue almost anything my heart and mind desire within the industry.”

Howard University partnered with Ford. Student Jawuan Freeman had the opportunity to work with TikTok under its Automotive Sales Track

“Getting my foot in the door is another huge priority for me, as I am neither afraid nor reluctant to start at the bottom and work my way up,” the Bison student says. “All the actions I’m taking now are stepping stones toward my future, ensuring that after I work hard, I can play hard.”

Past participating schools include Florida A&M University, which worked with Hyundai Motor America. In a press release, Hyundai CEO Randy Parker said the partnership reaffirmed “Hyundai’s dedication to fostering diversity within the industry.”

Daniel Weissland, president at Audi of America, said the program is “one small way we are changing and bringing diverse backgrounds and perspectives into the business.”

Rawlins smiles as he celebrates The Driving Force’s success going into the fifth year. “It just kind of blew up,” he says. With diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs being under national attack, he said it’s a great accomplishment.

“Actually when we create these programs, diversity programs, we give it like a two-year shelf life because you just don’t know, companies say stuff and then they back out,” he says.

In fact, he hopes to see more interactions from the corporations, adding a robust mentorship element in the future.