SONOMA, California – Zach Veach’s latest endeavor to give back involves educating students about opportunities involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
The Verizon IndyCar Series rookie driver for Andretti Autosport is partnering with sponsor Group One Thousand One and EVERFI, a Washington, D.C.-based digital education company, for an interactive STEM education program with plans to be launched in schools nationwide, starting with five markets including the San Francisco Bay area.
Veach, who previously has spoken to students about the effects of bullying and distracted driving, is enthusiastic about this new opportunity as it also relates to his own experience.
“I've always been passionate about trying to help kids, especially as they're making their way through the education program,” said Veach. “I remember I was very lucky to have a couple of special teachers when I was about 12 and 13 years old. They took my interest in motorsports and go-kart racing and used it for a couple different lesson plans to kind of help me get my mind swung around something.”
Brian Cooley, EVERFI president of sports and entertainment, said Veach is the first racer among several current and retired professional athletes involved, including NHL star Alex Ovechkin and former NBA players Charles Barkley and Allen Houston. The mission is to help students understand the many successful careers available in STEM-related areas.
“Our mission is to provide students with the critical skills that help them be successful in life,” Cooley said. “Today, this program is all about STEM skills, helping kids understand the importance of math and science in terms of being able to take advantage of future career opportunities in technical fields.
“We're incredibly grateful for Group One Thousand One support. It's phenomenal to be able to partner with Zach. Zach is a bright young star in auto racing. He is the very first auto racing athlete in any circuit who has his own STEM-based course in schools today.”
Dan Towriss, CEO of insurance holding company Group One Thousand One that sponsors Veach in the Verizon IndyCar Series, believes connecting education to sports is a successful method of getting students interested. It’s why he’s thrown the support of his company behind the EVERFI program.
“We see sports and education as a way to have tangible results as we look to build and support local communities, giving back,” Towriss said. “The word 'empowerment' is that people can become stronger, more confident, really kind of claim their goals and their dreams.
“I think nothing exemplifies that more than Zach in terms of what he's done to accomplish the dreams in his life through racing that started a long time ago and to see the work and effort that goes into that.”
Veach shares the vision and feels that helping students discover their passion early will bolster their chances of success later in life.
“I look back at how much developing happens, the educational system, as you're trying to get through high school, figure out that one decision where you haven't really had responsibilities your whole life, you're 18, decide what you want to do for the rest of your life,” he said.
“I'm hoping this kind of program gives kids more of an insight on the many different career paths that STEM is going to be a part of. If anything, just get their feet wet, maybe create new race engineers or even race drivers.
“So much goes into this from so many different backgrounds. We all come to this single point because we're passionate about something. I think creating passion in young students is the most important thing we can be doing.”
As part of the program’s launch, Veach and Andretti Autosport hosted nearly 30 Bay Area students during the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Sonoma weekend to show them ways that a STEM career could lead them into the sport of Indy car racing.