Page 8 - Kettering Magazine Spring 2017
P. 8
moBiliTY leAdership
KeTTering experienCe
propels graduate to win prestigious
infiniti engineering Academy
B y S a r a h S c h u c h hen Caitlin Bunt ‘14 was growing up, she didn’t
wrealize how big of an impact spending her days at
the racetrack with her dad would make on her career.
But when she realized motorsports was where she wanted to be, she wouldn’t let
anything get in her way. one step at a time she did some racing herself, found herself
“i CAme To KeTTering at Kettering and, most recently, landed a job of a lifetime to finally break into the
BeCAuse oF The Co- motorsport industry.
op progrAm, hAnds Bunt beat out nine other American finalists to become the u.s. winner of the infiniti
engineering Academy, which awarded her the career opportunity she had been hoping
down. wiThouT ThAT for in Formula 1. The opportunity meant she would spend six months working at the
experienCe i wouldn’T renault sport F1 team’s headquarters in enstone, u.K., and six months working at infiniti’s
european Technical Center in Cranfield, u.K. she will play a key role in the ongoing
Be in The plACe ThAT i transfer of technical knowledge and expertise between renault sport and infiniti.
Am now. ” “it’s pretty incredible to drop everything and go after this job. i’ve been around
motorsports my whole life,” Bunt said. “i probably feel relief more than anything
- Caitlin Bunt ’14 because i worked really hard for this. i earned this. Finally, i made it.”
This was no small feat. There were 4,000 applicants globally. After an extensive interview
process, Bunt was chosen as one of 10 u.s. finalists.
Bunt was the first-ever female winner of the Academy. however, that’s not something
she focuses on.
“i don’t like to dwell on the fact that i’m a female. i think the best engineers should win
regardless of gender,” Bunt said. “it’s good for being a role model to other women
in that sense, but it’s not something i think about. They want the best and brightest
regardless of the gender.”
For Bunt, winning the competition was the first step to bringing her dream alive.
she grew up with her dad racing a datsun 240z with the sCCA (sports Car Club of
America). she did most of the engineering and preparatory work on his car before
8 Ke TT ering mA g A zine
