Posted on September 19, 2024 by Sean M. Wood
Jayda Jenkins’ dream of racing around one of the world’s great tracks behind the wheel of a finely tuned 750 horsepower racecar may have slipped past her. But thanks to a $5,000 scholarship from the STEAM Sports Foundation, Jenkins could be a crew chief for a team or designer of the next-generation Formula 1 car.
She is one of seven young minority women receiving the scholarship created to encourage pursuing opportunities in motorsports and automotive engineering. Jenkins said it is a natural fit for the young Round Rock woman who grew up around cars.
“I come from a car family,” she said. “My grandpa raced NHRA and my dad sold cars. He also made sure I saw all the ‘Fast & Furious’ movies.”
But because she’s a girl — with four brothers — she was never pushed toward racing, selling, or working on cars. The sophomore mechanical engineering major and ambassador for the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design came to it on her own.
“The first time I felt myself going fast, I wanted to drive,” Jenkins said. “I don’t care what kind of car it is. I want to drive fast.”
She joined Road Runner Racing — UTSA’s chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers — as a freshman but decided that she wanted to do more. This year, Jenkins said she wants to contribute to the aerodynamics or be part of the powertrain team. “I want to do anything that can further my knowledge in those two areas,” she said.
Jenkins and her fellow scholarship winners are pioneers, according to STEAM Sports Foundation founder and Executive Director Bob Dickinson.
“If you don’t see people doing what you like to do, you think there is no opportunity, you’re not wanted, or the stakes are too high,” Dickinson said. “We’re going to give them all the support we can.”
Scholarship recipients will attend a NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, tour the pits, and meet members of the Hendricks Motorsports racing crew. They will also visit the GM Technical Center, the automaker’s primary design and engineering center in Warren, Michigan.
“I feel like if I had a bigger push when I was a kid, I would be further along on my path to being a race engineer,” said Jenkins, who has never been afraid to step forward growing up with four brothers. “I’m trying to make up for lost time. I would say I’m an aspiring gearhead.”
— Sean M. Wood
