program for grades 4-8 (ages 9-14) and
Be Internet Awesome, a program designed
to teach kids how to navigate the internet.
This year Google hosted faculty members
for an inaugural Hispanic Serving Institution
(HSI) Faculty Summit. The faculty represented
24 HSIs from across the United States,
including Puerto Rico, with a focus on
computer science (CS) education programs.
In addition to this work in the higher education
space, Google is also working with Latinx
students in the K-12 space.
“Through programs like Code Next,
we’re meeting Latinx students in their
own neighborhoods to provide more access
to technology, makerspaces and to support
the cultivation of Black and Latinx tech
leaders,” says Alvarez. As a Latina at
Google, I think it’s very important that we
have a seat at the digital table of innovation.
Our stories, experiences, and needs can
be overlooked when we don’t participate
in the creation of new technology. Latinos
have a history of being creators and inventors
and we should celebrate that. We need to tell
stories of people like Guillermo Camarena
and Luis von Ahn, who developed
game-changing technology.”
“Latinos are a vital part of AT&T’s
workforce, customer base and the
communities where we work and live,”
says Mylayna S. Albright, AVP-citizenship
& sustainability. “We serve our stakeholders
best when our workforce is diverse, and
when a focus on diversity and inclusion is
embedded in all our business practices.
This includes our support of education.
AT&T invests in education and job training
to create a skilled and diverse workforce that
powers our company – and our country –
for the future. AT&T must have a diverse
talent pipeline to remain competitive.”
Through AT&T’s signature education
initiative, AT&T Aspire, AT&T provides
access to education and training people need to
get and keep good jobs. Since 2008, AT&T has
committed $450 million to programs to help
millions of students in all 50 states and around
the world.
“We invest in education and job training to
create a skilled and diverse workforce that
powers our company and our country for the
future,” says Dawn Cordero, lead chief of staff.
“Through AT&T Aspire, we help provide access
to the education and training people need to get
and keep good jobs.”
AT&T supports programs that have
demonstrated success in increasing high school
graduation rates; programs that prepare
people for careers in technology, media
and telecommunications; and innovative tech
solutions to tackle the challenges facing teachers,
learners and the education system. These
programs include organizations that help
underrepresented students develop computer
science skills, like Girls Who Code, Black
Girls Code and All Star Code.
Other programs AT&T supports include
long-standing investments and collaborations
with dropout-prevention organizations like
Communities In Schools, City Year and Jobs
for America’s Graduates. AT&T also invests in
organizations such as Genesys Works, Per
Scholas and Year Up to provide underserved
young people with career training and work
experience at companies – including AT&T.
AT&T supports programs at Fordham University,
Rutgers University, Avanzando and Proyecto
Pastoral that focus on mentoring and education
efforts in the Latino community.
AT&T’s Hispanic employee resource group,
HACEMOS, has more than 10,800 members
dedicated to improving the Latino community,
career advancement and empowering future
generations of Latinos. In 2017, HACEMOS
awarded 54 scholarships, totaling $131,000, to
deserving youth nationwide – and since its
founding in 1988, more than $3.5 million in
scholarships.
Also, for the past 20 years, HACEMOS has
hosted its award-winning High Technology Day
at AT&T locations across the U.S., Puerto Rico
and Mexico. During the event, hundreds of AT&T
volunteers lead students through hands-on tech
demos and workshops on how to program and
design apps and build electronic circuitry.
“For Latinos specifically, successive generations
of them have tended to outperform their parents,
if those parents are significantly undereducated,”
Dawn shares. “But it’s not enough for each
generation to advance in small increments,
say from a sixth-grade education to an
eighth-grade. Educational progress for
Latinos has for the most part stalled at the
high school level. On the other hand, AT&T
must have a diverse talent pipeline to remain
competitive. So, education is the most
important investment we can make to develop
the next generation of creative thinkers.”
“It is important for Con Edison to carry
educational efforts toward Latinos and
the Hispanic community because we believe
in fostering a diverse and inclusive work
culture,” says Sidney Alvarez, media
relations manager at Con Edison. “The
people of Con Edison are our greatest
strength. Our 15,000 employees come
from different cultures, backgrounds, and
experiences, and reflect the diversity of
the neighborhoods we serve.”
Proud to support educational and
nonprofit organizations across New York
City and Westchester, Con Edison’s
partnerships strengthen the neighborhoods
they serve by offering cash grants, employee
volunteers, and more. Partnerships in the
communities Con Edison serves help to
create opportunities and enrich lives. In
2017, Con Edison awarded $12 million to
more than 675 nonprofits working in New
York City and Westchester. This total includes
$3.8M in education grants given to almost
200 local nonprofits.
“Con Edison’s Strategic Partnerships
program builds empowered, educated, and
inclusive communities through targeted
impact initiatives,” says Alvarez as she shares
the six specific areas Con Edison focuses
on: Arts & Culture, Civics, Community,
Education, Environment, and Volunteering.
Investing in educational programs that
inspire students in STEM, one of Con
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