By TINA NOEL
AT&T Indiana Public Affairs 

INDIANAPOLIS — In four years, AT&T employees provided students with 1 million hours of mentoring in Indiana and across the globe.

Employee mentors participate in AT&T’s Aspire Mentoring Academy, which was launched in fall, 2012, with the objective of providing 1 million hours of mentoring to students by its employees before the end of 2016.

As mentors, employees connect with students to help them discover their passions and potential. Watch HERE.

“In Indiana, our employees are involved in so many different mentoring activities, whether it’s showing students the ins and outs of our stores or providing them with the opportunity to experience how technology is integrated into everything we do,” said AT&T Indiana President Bill Soards. “We are so proud of our employees who make it a priority to take time out of their busy schedules to make an impact on the lives of young people. Their efforts do not go unnoticed.”

In Indiana, AT&T employees are connected with nonprofits that support students who will benefit the most from mentoring. Since the launch of Aspire Mentoring Academy, 3,100 students were provided 17,000 mentoring hours in the Hoosier state.

“It is so clear to me that we are making a difference,” said AT&T Indiana’s Lou Wozniak, who recently participated in a technology-focused mentoring event in Indianapolis. “Soon after I met a high school student in December, he reached out to me to talk about his desire to go to college to study software engineering. I am thankful for the opportunity to work with my fellow mentors to make an impact.”

A caring adult is a key factor in helping ensure a student graduates. Student success in school and beyond is a primary focus of AT&T Aspire. One in three young people do not have a mentor growing up, according to recent research commissioned by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and supported by AT&T. The 1 million hour milestone is just the beginning of AT&T’s efforts to close this gap. The next phase of Aspire Mentoring Academy will use the power of technology to connect with even more students in more places around the world.

“A mentor is a critical asset in helping a young person achieve success and one that drives expanded support and opportunity. AT&T employees bring us closer to that goal with Aspire Mentoring Academy,” said David Shapiro, CEO, MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership. “One million mentoring hours is a major accomplishment. It helps us close the mentoring gap and equip more young people with the skills and confidence they need to be successful. We are excited to work with AT&T to expand their reach to even more students by supporting employees and leveraging innovation and collaboration in the mentoring field.”

AT&T is teaming up with organizations like Nepris, iCouldBe and We Teach Science to help connect more students and mentors for whom in-person mentoring is not possible.