AT&T And New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina Celebrate 2015 Girls Who Code Graduates

NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina joined AT&T and Girls Who Code Thursday, Together, they celebrated the graduation of the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program at AT&T, a seven-week computer science program aimed at educating, inspiring and equipping high school girls with the skills and resources to pursue future careers in technology. 

Twenty young women from New York area high schools participated in the program at AT&T's office at Rockefeller Center. The students participated in an intensive curriculum program, logging more than 300 hours of computer science experience.  They also attended field trips and met with leading women in technology to build their awareness.

"New York City's girls and young women are our next generation of engineers, software developers, and scientists. I'm proud of these girls for investing in their education over the summer, and I'm grateful for all the adults – teachers, mentors, parents – who've supported them and reminded them that they can achieve anything," said Chancellor Farina. "I look forward to watching our Girls Who Code – and the thousands of girls in our City's STEM classes and programs – continue on their way to a bright future."

"As a company committed to building a diverse workforce and as an early supporter of Girls Who Code, we've seen first hand the power of nurturing young women's careers in high tech fields," said Marissa Shorenstein, president, AT&T New York. "This summer's class of Girls Who Code inspired me every day with their intelligence, passion and curiosity. They represent the very best of our future workforce and I look forward to following their progress."

Last year, AT&T Aspire, the company's signature education initiative, provided Girls Who Code a $1 million contribution to grow its program. During the graduation ceremony Aug. 27, the girls presented their final projects to family, friends and others. They received diplomas from Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code, Marissa Shorenstein, president, AT&T New York, and Chancellor Farina.

"AT&T's collaboration with and support of Girls Who Code has resulted in exactly the kind of outcomes we are striving for," said Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code. "Many of our alumni have gone on to study computer science in college and stay on a path towards careers in the field. This year we have 1,200 girls graduating from the Summer Immersion Program across the country and are so grateful to the role AT&T has played and continues to play in this growth."

During the final weeks of the program, the girls were tasked with creating and developing their own, original ideas, which they demonstrated to each other in class and at the graduation. Among the girls' final projects are:

• Wishlist – A web-based app that lets users search for Video, a TV show or movie. If the TV show or movie is not available, the user can add it to a wishlist, and will be notified when it is available.
• Water World – Today a fraction of humans across the world have access to clean water. Water World spreads awareness about the water crisis to the public.
• StressBalm – A mobile app that educates users about stress and its health effects. It provides solutions and activities to help soothe users by acting as a stress relief resource.
• Arctic Rescue – A website with an interactive game to educate users about global warming. It provides links to sites where users can donate to wildlife conservation funds.
• Don't Push My Buttons – This interactive game helps raise awareness about Asperger's Syndrome and low spectrum autism.
• Space Cleaners – This virtual game helps raise awareness about space debris by having users collect trash and avoid meteors to win the game.
• CashBook – This money management app helps teens keep track of their income and expenses, preparing them for a future of financial independence and responsibility.

The girls attended a number of field trips over the course of the program, including AT&T's Global Network Operations Center (GNOC). 

About Philanthropy and Social Innovation at AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: 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. 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.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, mobile, high speed Internet and voice services. We're the world's largest provider of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. In the U.S., our wireless network offers the nation's strongest LTE signal and the most reliable 4G LTE network. We offer the best global wireless coverage*. And we help businesses worldwide serve their customers better with our mobility and secure cloud solutions.

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