Alabama Decatur Students Team with AT&T Employees to Learn Skills for Success

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A caring adult is a key factor to ensuring a student graduates from high school and succeeds beyond graduation. One in three young people do not have a mentor when growing up, according to recent research.

That’s why AT&T is teaming with DECA in Decatur, Alabama to provide mentoring to teens, helping them discover their career passions and potential.

During these mentoring events, employees share life experiences and career advice through project-based activities, lead problem-solving activities in a group setting and teach students how what they are learning in their classroom today can lead to success tomorrow.

In November 2016, the DECA students visited the AT&T call center in Huntsville and witnessed first-hand how collaboration, communication and planning are vital parts of a successful business.

As part of their day at the call center, the students learned about AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign and plan to share the dangers of distracted driving with their school early this year.

“It is tremendously rewarding to work with the students at Decatur High School and collaborate with DECA advisors, who are so dedicated to helping shape the next generation…”

– Fariba Tabarrok, AT&T Account Contributor and AT&T’s Huntsville Office

“Young people are our future, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to help them stay on track to graduate college, career and life ready,” said Tabarrok.

“Our collaboration with AT&T is instrumental in empowering young people to make their biggest dreams a reality,” said Gladys Patterson, Decatur High DECA Chapter Advisor. “The students who are paired with AT&T mentors come away from their experience with more confidence in their academics and a vision for their future.”

As part of the company’s signature philanthropic initiative AT&T Aspire, AT&T employees will be mentoring students at Decatur High School throughout the school year.

Since 2012, AT&T employees have provided more than 170,000 students with more than 1 million hours of mentoring across the country.

About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T

AT&T 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. AT&T Aspire is AT&T’s signature philanthropic initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism, and mentoring.

Through Aspire, we’ve passed the $250 million mark on our plan to invest $350 million in education from 2008-2017.

To learn more about how students are benefiting from AT&T Aspire, click here.

About DECA

DECA is an international network of more than 225,000 members across 50 states and nine countries.

DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. DECA enhances the classroom experience and empowers a teacher advisor to bring the classroom to life with exciting and challenging projects that integrate into classroom instruction, apply learning, connect to business and promote competition.

With a 70-year history, DECA has impacted the lives of more than ten million students, educators, school administrators and business professionals since it was founded in 1946.

To learn more about DECA, click here and follow DECA on Facebook and Twitter.

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