Few college graduates can say they have a job waiting for them in this economy, or that they run their own company. Even fewer can say they are breaking barriers in a male-dominated sport.<\/p>\n
But then again, Shea Holbrook is anything but ordinary.<\/p>\n
The 22 \u2013year-old is a full-time professional race car driver, runs her own career and actively works with a charity that\u2019s fighting a disease close to her heart. In between that she managed to squeeze in a college education, and on Saturday, May 5, at 9 a.m. she\u2019ll collect her bachelor\u2019s degree from the University of Central Florida.<\/p>\n
At UCF, many of her colleagues didn\u2019t believe her when she talked about her history-making racing career. In 2011, she became the first woman to win a Long Beach Touring Car Race at the Long Beach Grand Prix. She\u2019s only the fourth woman to have ever won a professional race on that track.<\/p>\n
Now with a degree in Interpersonal\/Organizational Communication<\/strong> and a minor in Marketing, she\u2019ll be even better equipped to run her company \u2014 Shea Racing \u2013 and stay in control of her own career.<\/p>\n \u201cRacing started as a passion, but became my career,\u201d said the self-proclaimed adrenaline-junkie. \u201cI love it.\u201d<\/p>\n A \u201clife-changing\u201d trip to the Richard Petty Experience in Daytona Beach with her dad in 2007 inspired Holbrook\u2019s racing career. Too young to drive the car at the time, the experience of being a passenger was exciting enough to spark an interest.<\/p>\n A natural competitor, she previously fulfilled her craving for adventure as a water-skier. When she was old enough to drive she found something she was naturally good at that required a similar sense of fearlessness.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I was scared, I wouldn\u2019t be doing this,\u201d Holbrook said.<\/p>\n Although 15 is considered a late age to begin thinking about professional racing, her greatest challenge didn\u2019t lie behind the wheel of her Honda Civic Si. It was trying to keep up with schoolwork while also balancing what had become a full-time job.<\/p>\n A competitor in the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car Division, Holbrook typically races once a month from March to August, when the pro races run. She practices, or \u201ctests,\u201d bimonthly.<\/p>\n Despite the hectic schedule, the Central Florida native graduated from Montverde Academy in Lake County, earned her Associate\u2019s Degree at Valencia Community College and arrived at UCF in 2010 through the DirectConnect program.<\/p>\n \u201cShea is a remarkable student and professional athlete,\u201d said Bill Steiger, a visiting instructor in the College of Business. \u201cShe manages to balance both roles while maintaining a fantastic attitude and focus. She\u2019s bright, driven\u2014no pun intended\u2014and loaded with entrepreneurial traits.\u201d<\/p>\n