The Office of the City Representative was proud to help a special young man get the thrill of his life as well as a head start on his future dream job.

Avaunte Walker, an 18-year-old senior at Pal Robeson High School, recently approached our City Representative Sheila Hess at a PAL event. He mistakenly thought Sheila was part of NASCAR because of her annual involvement in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Philadelphia Takeover event.

Sheila said it was a first anyone confused her with someone from NASCAR but explained the role of the Office of the City Representative’s Office in working with NASCAR for the event which brings NASCAR drivers and their teams to different locations throughout the City of Philadelphia to connect with fans and teach our residents about auto racing. It was recently held on Wednesday, May 15, 2019.

Avaunte said he regularly attends the event and is hoping to one day be a professional NASCAR driver.

“Being able to meet the drivers in person makes me feel like my dream of one day becoming a NASCAR driver will happen real soon and it’s paying evident that it will happen,” Avaunte told Sheila. “Being able to talk to the drivers gave me confidence and made me work harder to become a NASCAR driver.”

Avaunte is currently working with a motorsports team and is looking to find sponsorships to cover the cost of starting his driving career.

What impressed Sheila so much about Avaunte is his desire to one day use his platform as a professional driver to inspire others, give back to his community, and raise awareness and money for research for people with cancer and heart disease.

Through the help of the Office of the City Representative, Avaunte was the special guest of the drivers and went with them to many of the events for his once in a lifetime experience.

We are so proud of Avaunte and wish you him much success as he begins the journey to fulfilling his dream.

More photos of the event can be found here.