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 NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
February 8, 2010
AT&T/JA JOB SHADOW STUDENT WINS TRIP TO
SUPPORT TEAM USATM AT VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
Essay Winning Student Will Share His
Video of 2010 Olympic Winter Games Experience With the World Using att.com/jobshadow,
Facebook and YouTube
Dallas, TX –
To provide additional opportunities for students
involved with the AT&T/JA
Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative, AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is honoring the winner
of an essay contest with a trip to Vancouver to attend the 2010 Olympic Winter
Games.
16 year-old Badr Raissi, a junior from Passaic County
Technical Institute in Wayne, NJ, was chosen for his
outstanding
essay that addressed how the AT&T/JA Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative made a
powerful difference in his life and outlook towards school and his future. He is
one of more than 23,000 students in over 200 cities that have participated in
the AT&T/JA Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative since its inception in 2008. The
program enables AT&T employees to team up with students to provide a firsthand
experience in the working world and demonstrates how education is essential to
future success.
"I felt so fortunate to be a part of the Job Shadow
experience and now with this opportunity to go to the Olympic Winter Games, I am
overwhelmed," said Badr Raissi. "This is something I will tell my grandchildren
about."
While in Vancouver, Badr will explore the Olympic
Village and attend numerous events, including men's freestyle skiing, women's
curling, men's speed skating, and men's ice hockey. During his trip, he will
share his experience via video postings, which can be followed at
AT&T's Job Shadow Web
site and on Facebook and YouTube.
"Badr's essay spoke directly to what we hope to
achieve with the AT&T/JA Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative," said Laura Sanford,
President of the AT&T Foundation. "It's wonderful to see how the program has
made such an impact in his life and helped him make the crucial connection
between his education and his future. We are thrilled be able to provide him
with this once in a lifetime opportunity."
After coming to the U.S. from Morocco three years ago,
Badr has overcome a daunting language barrier to become both an Honor Student at
his high school and a National Honor Society member. According to Badr, hearing
from AT&T employees who have faced similar challenges has taught him to "embrace
obstacles when you're not sure of the outcome," knowing that "success does not
come easily," but can be attained.
In addition, Pam Jaggers, Regulatory Affairs Analyst, AT&T External &
Legislative Affairs- Louisville, KY, will travel to Vancouver. Pam won a trip to
the 2010 Olympic Winter Games for the outstanding job she did serving as a site
coordinator for the AT&T/JA Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative in which she
facilitated the Job Shadow Days in Louisville, KY for 182 students.
"Helping students understand how education impacts future job opportunities
has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me and other AT&T employees,"
said Pam Jaggers, Regulatory Affairs Analyst, AT&T External & Legislative
Affairs. "Since the initiative started in 2008 through fall of 2009, employees
have spent close to 92,000 volunteer hours helping students."
Ten other student essay contest winners will receive AT&T Team USA gear that
includes a messenger bag, Team USA blanket, and other items for sharing what
they learned through the AT&T/JA Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative.
AT&T and Junior Achievement congratulate all of the contest winners, and send
its support for Team USATM, wishing our nation's athletes the best of luck in
the upcoming 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Find More Information Online:
Web Site Links:
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and
affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its
subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T
services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are
the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services, the
nation's fastest 3G network and the best wireless coverage worldwide, and the
nation's leading high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic
markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales
leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T
brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As
part of their three-screen integration strategy, AT&T operating companies are
expanding their TV entertainment offerings. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in
the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the
World's Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the
products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available
at http://www.att.com.
About Philanthropy at AT&T
AT&T and the AT&T Foundation are committed to advancing education, strengthening
communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives and
partnerships, AT&T supports projects that create learning opportunities; promote
academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. The AT&T
Foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2009, and more than $160 million
was contributed through AT&T corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving
programs in 2008 alone.
© 2009 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo
and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual
Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.
About JA Worldwide® (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring
and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated
volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school
programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness,
entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 129 individual area operations
reach more than four million students in the United States, with an additional
5.7 million students served by operations in 122 other countries worldwide. For
more information, visit www.ja.org.
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