United Way Silicon Valley Hosts GradNation Youth Summit Focused on Ways to Better Prepare Local Youth for Careers in Silicon Valley

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today more than 200 local teens joined forces at United Way Silicon Valley's GradNation Youth Summit to envision what a career in high tech might look like and ways to make that vision a reality. Held at East San Jose's Independence High School, the summit is part of a nationwide effort by America's Promise Alliance to ensure that young people graduate from high school prepared for success. AT&T is the premier sponsor of the national Grad Nation Community Summits campaign and participated in the local event.

"We want to make sure all kids, including those in families with no college experience or who are struggling to make ends meet, can see a place for themselves in the knowledge-based workforce that exists in Silicon Valley today," said Carole Leigh Hutton, president and CEO of United Way Silicon Valley. "Spending time with mentors and actually talking about coding or becoming an entrepreneur can motivate and inspire students to pursue a STEM-based education."

The summit was held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and included an inspiring keynote address by Jaime Carias, who talked about overcoming adversity to achieve success. Carias was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, where he saw poverty and violence firsthand. Now the Civic Engagement Coordinator for the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, he motivates and shares his evidence-based strategies with students to improve their academic performance, graduate, and pursue higher education.

Five workshops were offered throughout the day, including:

• How to Become a Social Entrepreneur presented by Youth Seed and Empathy
• Designing Your Own School presented by Teach for America
• Basics of Coding presented by Girls Who Code
• The Fun and Power of Data: A New Way to Discover and Invent presented by AT&T
• App Development in the World of Startups presented by United Way Silicon Valley's Emerging Leaders United

"We know that graduation rates go up when students are enrolled in programs that expose them to college and career opportunities – and how better to do that in Silicon Valley than to expose them to different opportunities in STEM and tech fields," said Marc Blakeman, Vice President of External Affairs for AT&T California. "We have AT&T data scientists here today giving students a very hands-on introduction to big data. We're thrilled to provide that kind of window into a possible career path and help get kids excited about going into STEM fields."

The summit is one of 100 that will be held around the country through 2016. The summits are co-sponsored  by America's Promise Alliance as part of its GradNation campaign, a large and growing movement of dedicated individuals, organizations and communities working together to raise the national high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020, with no school graduating fewer than 80 percent of its students on time. 

"The progress we are seeing toward the national goal of raising graduation rates is based on communities coming together to support and insist on better outcomes for young people," said John Gomperts, president and CEO, America's Promise Alliance. "Summits like the event in San Jose are rallying points for communities. America's Promise is delighted to support this effort and work with leaders in San Jose and communities across the country to help advance this campaign."

The premier sponsor of the national GradNation Community Summits initiative is AT&T, whose support is part of AT&T Aspire, the company's $350-million commitment to graduate more students from high school ready for college and career.  The other national sponsors include Southwest Airlines and GE Foundation.

For more information and to learn how to get involved visit www.gradnation.org.   

About America's Promise Alliance

Founded in 1997 at the Presidents' Summit for America's Future, America's Promise leads an alliance of organizations, communities and individuals dedicated to fulfilling the presidential declaration signed on that day calling upon the nation to keep five crucial promises to every young person in America: the presence of caring adults in their lives; safe surroundings to live, learn and grown; healthy starts and healthy childhoods; an effective education that builds marketable skills; and opportunities to serve others.  As its signature effort, the GradNation campaign, launched in 2010, mobilizes Americans to increase the on-time high school graduation rate to 90% by 2020 and prepare young people for postsecondary enrollment and the 21^st century workforce. For more information, visit AmericasPromise.org.

About United Way Silicon Valley

United Way Silicon Valley is committed to improving community conditions by helping families with children become economically secure, able to support their children's educational success, physically and emotionally healthy, and connected to the community. To drive positive change, United Way Silicon Valley helps people help themselves by identifying critical needs, mobilizing the caring power of the community, and aligning resources to achieve the best results. United Way is focused on the building blocks for a good life: income, education, and health. For more information about United Way Silicon Valley, visit www.uwsv.org.

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 2013, more than $130 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.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.