AT&T, through its signature education initiative AT&T Aspire, has committed $400,000 to the College Prep Program at Washington University. The program helps low-income students from across the St. Louis region connect with other talented students and prepare for success in college.
“I am deeply grateful to AT&T Aspire for its support of this innovative program,” Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton said. “AT&T’s contribution will help provide young people — most of whom will be the first in their family to attend college — new opportunities for success at the colleges of their choosing.”
Leah Merrifield, assistant vice chancellor for community engagement, said the gift will enable the College Prep Program to sustain its unique, multiyear format. College Prep scholars commit to spending three summers at Washington University, where they live in college residence halls, engage in science and engineering workshops in university labs, take courses for college credit and prepare for the college application process. The program is free for the selected participants.
“This gift will provide these promising students the tools and resources they need to reach their goals,” Merrifield said. “These students are smart enough to get into college. Our goal is to give them the skills, the confidence and the resiliency to finish.”
John Sondag, president of AT&T Missouri, said the entire region benefits from the program’s success.
“At AT&T, education has been our priority for over a century,” Sondag said. “We are proud to support the College Prep Program at Washington University because when our local students succeed, the greater St. Louis community benefits. We look forward to helping support these students for success in college and in their career.”
Through AT&T Aspire, AT&T drives innovation in education to promote student success in
school and beyond. By investing in new tools and solutions that leverage its unique technologies and capabilities, AT&T helps
personalize and mobilize learning for
students of all ages and backgrounds.
“Washington University does a great job improving outcomes for the region’s young people,” said Lori Lee, AT&T senior executive vice president and global marketing officer, and a graduate of Olin Business School. “We’re excited to work with the school through AT&T Aspire to help prepare the future leaders of our digital, global economy.”
The College Prep Program will start accepting nominations for its third cohort on Oct. 1. Students may be nominated by a teacher, counselor, faith or civic leader or another community member with knowledge of the student’s character and academic abilities.
This past summer’s cohort of 46 high school sophomores represented 24 high schools. One-third of the cohort hails from Ferguson, Mo., or the nearby north St. Louis County communities impacted most by the unrest that followed the August 2014 death of Michael Brown.
The program is part of Washington University’s ongoing efforts to make college accessible to students from all backgrounds.
Other initiatives include sponsorship of a KIPP network of charter schools in St. Louis; sponsorship of Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls, Missouri’s first all-girls charter school; and the Institute for School Partnership, which works with school districts across the region to develop curriculum and improve teaching.
About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T
AT&T Inc. is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its community initiatives, AT&T has a long history of investing in projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; or address community needs. In 2014, nearly $127 million was contributed or directed through corporate-, employee-, social investment- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs. AT&T Aspire is AT&T’s signature education initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism and mentoring.