NASCAR Employee Spotlight: Kayah Shamapande-Scarboro was originally published on Power to Fly.
Employee Name: Kayah Shamapande-Scarboro
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Official Role: Commercial Communications Coordinator
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
NASCAR Journey Start: May 2023
Professional Journey
Before joining NASCAR, Kayah was a college student at Queens University of Charlotte, where she developed a strong passion for the sports industry. During her time as a student, she worked for the Charlotte Hornets as their Executive Office Assistant and was part of the communications team on game days. Before her senior year, she secured a fellowship with Sports Biz Careers, which led to an internship at the Carolina Panthers. After her fellowship concluded, she returned to the Hornets, and upon graduation, she secured her current role at NASCAR.
Passion for NASCAR
Kayah’s passion for NASCAR began during her fellowship with Sports Biz Careers and the Carolina Panthers. Each week, Sports Biz took her cohort to visit various sports organizations around the Charlotte area, where they met executives and industry professionals to learn about their roles. One of these visits was to NASCAR, where she was inspired by the panelists and impressed by the organization’s efforts to diversify the sport. After that visit, she knew she wanted to be part of that impact and delve deeper into the world of motorsports.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities
The best part of Kayah’s current role is the variety in her daily responsibilities. One day, she might be coordinating and organizing panels for upcoming conferences, while the next, she could be handling media outreach for various initiatives and events across the company.
Fun Facts and Interests
A fun fact about Kayah is that she used to be a soccer player. She loved sports and stayed extremely active throughout middle and high school. Now, she tries to maintain her active lifestyle by working out and enjoying outdoor activities like hiking and kayaking.
Advice for Aspiring NASCAR Professionals
“My advice is the same as what I received when I first joined NASCAR: be patient with yourself. When I started, I knew very little about the sport, so I had to give myself time to learn and absorb the information. Eventually, everything started to click and come together,” says Kayah.
