• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Features
  • Campus News
  • CSUDH.edu
  • Contact
  • People
    • Staff Spotlight
    • Faculty Highlights
    • Alumni
  • Magazine
  • For Journalists
    • CSUDH In The News
    • Press Releases
    • Facts and Figures
    • Find Media Experts
    • Gallery
    • News Reporting on Campus

CSUDH News

The primary source of news and information about California State University, Dominguez Hills, its students, faculty, and staff.

You are here: Home / Archive / Features / Milka Duno: First Latina Racing Champion Sets Pace for College-bound Students

Milka Duno: First Latina Racing Champion Sets Pace for College-bound Students

October 31, 2011

California State University, Dominguez Hills welcomed Milka Duno, the first Latina race car driver to be classified “expert,” to the annual “La Feria Es El Momento: Edúcalos” that took place on campus on Oct. 22. Duno, who represented her “Milka Way” organization at the event sponsored by Univision, was invited by the network to serve as the keynote speaker to an audience in the University Theatre.

Freshman Jennifer Lopez (at right) interviewed Milka Duno, the first Latina driver to achieve expert status in the racing world. Duno spoke to families at the “La Feria Es El Momento: Edúcalos” on Oct. 22.

Duno spoke to students and potential students of all ages and their families and encouraged youths to achieve higher education in order to be successful. She has made history by being the first Latin American woman to compete in NASCAR. In addition to this extraordinary achievement, she has also attained four master’s degrees in organizational development, naval architecture, fishing and aquaculture and maritime business, earning the last three degrees simultaneously. A qualified naval engineer, Duno said that she achieved these goals with the support of her parents who always motivated her and told her that education was the key to success.

“For whatever you want to be you have to study,” she said. “Whether it is being a soccer player, boxer, [or race car driver].”

Duno became acquainted with car racing when she attended the Porsche Driving Clinic in 1998 and discovered a passion for race cars. From there, she traveled to the United States to take professional race car driving classes.

Duno has won numerous races and titles in her trajectory as an “expert” race car driver. She is the first woman to win a major international race in the U.S., the first Hispanic woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500, and the first woman to compete and lead in the IndyCar series. She has a historic second place record of the highest finish by a female driver in the 24 Hours of Daytona, was named “Venezuelan Auto Racing Driver of the Year” in her second year of racing, and was crowned Vice Champion Driver in the American Le Mans LMP675 Championship. Duno was also the first Venezuelan athlete to be inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame at their 35th Anniversary Induction Ceremony in 2010.

“Things are hard but not impossible to accomplish,” she said to the assembled audience. “It is up to us to have strength and continue working hard to secure our goals.”

Duno said that race car driving incorporates the fields that she studied since mechanics, aerodynamics, and organizational work come into play when she works together with a team to win the race. She strongly believes that education is the way to have a successful life and appreciates her parents’ advice. She said she is who she is now thanks to her parents and encouraged students to study and take advantage of all the opportunities they are given.

“You need to study and accept the opportunities,” said Duno. “You are the future; you need to prepare to have families and better opportunities to learn to contribute to the ones that come behind.”

Duno’s father had to have two to three jobs at a time so that Milka and her brothers would have an education. When she wanted to go to Spain to study abroad, she was grateful for her parents’ hard work and strong support, but had to find extra help to afford the trip. She competed for a scholarship and was selected among many people that applied for it, and as a result, was able to complete three master’s degrees in Spain from the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros Navales and the Instituto Maritimo Espanol. Duno also studied at the Instituto Universitario Politecnico de las Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales in Venezuela, where approximately 120 people were chosen to be in the engineering program. Only four students graduated, among whom Duno was first in the class. In addition, she earned a master’s degree in organizational development from the Universidad Catolica Andres Bello in Caracas.

“I had determination in what I wanted to do and I didn’t let anyone intimidate me to not reach my goals,” Duno said. “The strongest tool is to have education. You can be as good as or better than the one that is beside you because [you] have the ability and capacity.”

Duno has written an award-winning bilingual book called, “Go, Milka, Go!” (“Corre, Milka, Corre!”) based on her personal story, to inspire children of all ages to love education. She is also a promoter of her “Milka Way” organization that motivates Hispanic youth to “Aim for the Stars” through education. Duno also starred in the 2008 film adaptation of the animated series, “Speed Racer” as Gearbox/Kellie Kalinkova, a Russian race car driver. She will continue to race this year in the 2011 Arca Series. In this series, Duno and her team, Sheltra Motorsports will compete to keep the 2010 championship title.

Duno said that education was the main thing that made her successful, prepared her to accept challenges, and not let any obstacle get in the way of achieving her goals. She encouraged parents to help their children understand that education is what will give them a better life.

“The principle thing that will help you is education … preparedness and studying,” she said.  “Focus and leave all your energy in studies, is what you have to do to have a good future.”

Jennifer Lopez is a freshman majoring in criminal justice and a student employee in the Office of Communications and Public Affairs.

Filed Under: Features Tagged With: Social Work, Students

Recent Features

Ricardo Martinez with fellow youth commissioners at an outreach event in 2022.

Toro Makes an Impact as Youth Commissioner

January 12, 2023

At 23, CSUDH junior Ricardo Ortega Martinez Jr. is already a veteran in California politics. “My advocacy and community organizing started at the age of 17,” says Martinez, a political science major whose early experience with foster care growing up in Huntington Park helped shape the focus of his current advocacy ... Read More

Ken Seligson with The Maya and Climate Change book in foreground

New Book Explores the Resilience of the Ancient Maya

December 2, 2022

Throughout human history, civilizations have had to adapt to ever-shifting environments in order to survive—whether sudden, catastrophic climate events, or gradual changes that span centuries. These human-environmental relationships are at the center of The Maya and Climate Change (Oxford University Press, Nov. 2022), ... Read More

Helping Student Vets Chart a Path to Success

November 10, 2022

Tucked away on the third floor of Leo F. Cain Library, the Veterans Resource Center (VRC) may be small, but it exerts an outsized influence on the lives of students making the challenging transition from military service to academic life. “The Veterans Resource Center is the reason I’m here today and about to ... Read More

... see all Featured Stories

Primary Sidebar

Social Media

Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram
LinkedIn
SOCIALICON

Secondary Sidebar

CSUDH EXPERTS

Student Research Day Showcases Scholarship and Mentorship

Now in its 13th year, Student Research Day (SRD) has become an institution at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), and a widely-anticipated showcase of the analytical and creative vigor demonstrated each year by the university’s budding researchers. Close to 220 oral and poster presentations were delivered during SRD on Feb. 14 and 15, covering a wide range of academic ... Read More

[VIDEO] Teatro Dominguez: The Best Kept Secret at CSUDH

It might be uncommon to see second and third grade students volunteer to pick up trash, but that is exactly what has happened during California State University, Dominguez Hills' (CSUDH) Teatro Dominguez community-based theater troupe performances at local elementary schools this semester. When the college student actors— in character as a coyote, an aardvark, a sea cucumber and other sea, land ... Read More

Zero Waste Goals Require Toro Nation to be All-In

As the Earth’s dominant species, humans have a myriad of self-inflicted ecological challenges to contend with. Some are monumental and require international buy-in, like climate change, while others involve localized activism and direct action, such as biohazard cleanup. One cause of all the devastation stands out above the rest – waste. CSUDH has a large ecological footprint. The campus ... Read More

photo of phone with low battery

Your Phone Is Almost Out of Battery. Remain Calm. Call A Doctor.

Larry Rosen knows he has a problem. Headed home from work, the psychology professor said his heart skipped a beat when he glanced at his iPhone and suddenly realized his battery was at 7%. He had no charger. “You get this feeling: Oh my God, I’m lost,” he said. Prof. Rosen, a past chairman of the psychology department at California State University, Dominguez Hills, knows whereof he speaks. He ... Read More

Young Scholars Program Marks 20 Years of Educating High School Students

Thousands of high school students throughout California have been able to earn college credit prior to graduation—saving them money and reducing their time to a college degree— through the California State University, Dominguez Hills Young Scholars Program, which turns 20 in 2014. To mark the anniversary and showcase the program, Center for Mediated Instruction and Distance Learning staff ... Read More

Ximena Cid

Ximena Cid Stands on ‘Path of Totality’ After Teaching STEM 0 Students about Total Solar Eclipses

On Aug. 21, Ximena Cid was standing with family and friends in Idaho on the “path of totality,” watching the bright morning sky dim to a twilight hue and feeling the air temperature steadily drop while the moon gradually blocked the sun’s light from reaching Earth. Cid, an assistant professor of physics at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), was far from alone during her ... Read More

Women’s Studies Grants First Degrees

Women’s Studies Grants First Degrees

Women’s Studies has only been a major at CSUDH for one year, but its first four graduates are already earning their degrees this spring. As Associate Professor and Coordinator of Women’s Studies Jenn Brandt says, “We’re so excited. To have all of these wonderful students, in a pandemic, not only surviving but thriving, has exceeded my expectations! I know they’re going to go on and make the ... Read More

Women’s Business Conference Inspires, Informs and Connects Entrepreneurs

Nearly 2,000 women (and several men) who either are small business owners or are considering becoming one filled the Loker Student Union at California State University, Dominguez Hills for the 2014 Connecting Women to Power Business Conference on June 20. The capacity crowd was on hand to gain invaluable tips on a variety of topics facing small business owners, including how to build a ... Read More

Women’s Business Conference Enlightens and Empowers

Approximately 1,000 women (and a few brave men) from throughout much of Southern California—who already are or are interested in becoming small business owners—gathered at the 2012 Connecting Women to Power Business Conference held at California State University, Dominguez Hills on June 14. The large crowd was treated to rousing keynote and welcome speeches laced together by master of ceremonies ... Read More

Women’s Conference: Students as Architects of Their Own Lives

By:Wyahee Tucrkile How do I build the life I want to build? How do I create the space around me to make that structure strong enough to withstand the things that it might need to withstand? As students and faculty from California State University, Dominguez Hills and local high schools including Fremont, Firebaugh, Crenshaw, and Lynwood High School, sat in a nearly packed Loker Student Union ... Read More

Women’s Business Conference Brings Policymakers and Entrepreneurs Together

The National Association of Women Business Owners – LA (NAWBOLA) and California Educational Solutions, in partnership with members of the California State Board of Equalization, hosted the “Connecting Women to Power Business Conference” in the Loker Student Union at California State University, Dominguez Hills on March 30. The State Board of Equalization was represented by Jerome Horton (Class of ... Read More

Footer

California State University, Dominguez Hills Logo

1000 E. Victoria Street, Carson, CA 90747
1-310-243-2001 • Send Email

Related Sites

  • csudh.edu
  • magazine.csudh.edu
  • gotoros.com

EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Get CSUDH News directly in your inbox

Copyright © 2023 · California State University, Dominguez Hills