by Dollita Okine, Face2FaceAfrica.com
Photo via NASCAR
Camilla Bowens-Wilkins, a student at Louisiana State University, took advantage of an incredible opportunity through her internship. When she got to the university, she quickly became involved on campus, joining the Iota Theta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in the fall of 2025.
Just over a year later, she became a NASCAR NEXT intern, actively seeking experiences that align with her interests and career objectives.
“I’m from Boston, Massachusetts,” she told AfroTech. “I got to Louisiana State University [and am studying] sports administration. What led me to NASCAR is that growing up, I was an athlete, but NASCAR specifically, my dad was a racing fan, so it’s always on in the background. My favorite movie growing up was Cars. My mom always says that back when people watched DVDs, I went through three Cars DVDs because I just needed it on. Racing has always been a part of my life.”
Bowens-Wilkins discovered NASCAR NEXT, a 10-week summer program offering career training and mentorship in motorsports, while searching for internships on LinkedIn. She made history by designing the first Delta Sigma Theta show car, debuting at the 2026 South Atlantic Regional Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Fortunately, the internship coincided with NASCAR’s outreach to the South Atlantic Region, making her sorority membership a perfect fit.
“When I came in, they showed me a version of the car, and they also asked me, knowing that I’m a Delta, what input I have, things of that nature, so I was able to really look into the design, brainstorm, and start designing it. Things I would want to add, things that should be tweaked, and then it ended up turning into my design fully. It was really cool to see it in person and see all of the things that I added, like that intelligence is a torch of wisdom, which came strictly from Delta, so I was able to add that touch to it as well. It was just another really cool full-circle moment for me, and my boss, Brandon, he’s a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, so it was just really cool for Greek unity, him supporting me throughout the whole process.”
NASCAR has long been viewed as a white male-dominated sport, despite contributions from diverse trailblazers. Wendell Scott became the first African American driver to win a race in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series in 1964, followed by Bill Lester, who became the first Black driver to start a modern Cup Series race in 2006. Today, Bubba Wallace and Rajah Caruth are promoting inclusion. Bowens-Wilkins reflected on her experience with NASCAR NEXT, honoring these pioneers.
She remarked, “It’s amazing walking into the NASCAR office; just seeing so many people who look like me was really inspirational. I feel like there are people already in the space that are paving the way for young people like me, but everything that I do, I just go in knowing that I have full faith in myself, which is what led me to Delta as well.”
She added, “The whole history behind why we were founded, back in 1913, was at the height of the Women’s Suffrage Movement. 22 women wanted to go out and make a change; they started Delta Sigma Theta and did that regardless of what was considered the norm at that time. Now, being a member of that sorority, I can really live in that truth.”
She continued, “Also, for myself, while I am from Boston, my mom lives in a predominantly white town, which is where I went to school. In 2020, I hit the streets and started to make some noise too, which is my connection to one of the reasons I wanted to become a Delta. You just have to step out and make a way if it hasn’t been made already, because there’s so many people who are looking up to you. Again, my boss is a Black woman, I look up to her, and there’s so many girls that have been looking up to me, even just messaging me too, so you just never know what your influence can be.”
Things started to take shape when Bowens-Wilkins saw the car on display during the conference at the convention center.
She recounted, “I went down to see it when it was unveiled, and immediately when I got there, it was a line of sorors just trying to take a picture. I could see the line when I turned the corner, but I wasn’t sure what the line was for, and as I got closer I was like, ‘Oh, that’s the line for the car I designed.’ Just hearing people be like, ‘Wow, NASCAR really did this! Wow, this is so amazing. They captured the sorority so well,’ and them not knowing that I was the one who designed it, standing right there, meant so much.”