A Conversation About Impact

Feb 26, 2016 2:35 PM ET

Connect To Good

AT&T has long been a City Year champion, investing both in the national organization, as well as the community of Little Rock, Arkansas. As a team sponsor for four years, they have had an impact on many students, including this year’s senior class valedictorian, Hillary.

City Year invited Hillary (name has been changed to protect student's privacy) and AT&T’s Melinda Faubel to meet and share their experiences from their different perspectives. Melinda is Director of External Affairs at AT&T, and sits on the City Year Little Rock board. Hillary, who first encountered City Year in elementary school and again in high school, is student body president and interested in studying engineering, which was Melinda’s major.

Here’s an excerpt from their conversation:

Hillary: What do you like about being involved in City Year?

Melinda: That's a great question. I personally like being involved because of the City Year AmeriCorps members and what City Year does to help students like you. If not for City Year, students may not have stayed in school or been able to advance to the next grade. From a business standpoint, AT&T needs employees who have graduated from high school and who are prepared to go on to college and are prepared for the workforce. AT&T has been in Arkansas for over 135 years and has a long history of supporting the communities where we live and work. AT&T Aspire focuses on helping students succeed in high school. City Year is a perfect fit because that's exactly what they do.

Read more here.