AT&T Support Helps More High School Students Explore College Life Through Immersive Pre-College Programs at Stevens

Stevens Institute of Technology Pre-College Programs allow promising high school students to create something from to start to finish: a business plan, a video game, an investment portfolio, a short animation. The rigorous and engaging summer learning program gives high schools students access to explore science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) fields of interest, gain hands-on experience and realize their college and career goals.  

To reduce financial barriers and enable more students to receive the benefit from these enriching, high-quality experiences, AT&T contributed $10,000 to support scholarships for eligible students to attend Pre-College Programs at Stevens. 

“The gift from AT&T will provide talented young students with the opportunity to experience a cutting-edge field of study, explore new areas of learning and become inspired to pursue a STEAM-focused college education,” said Christie Graziano, director of Pre-College Programs at Stevens. “Each of the programs are designed to expose students to college life and real world experiences through creative, project-driven, hands-on immersions.”

J. Michael Schweder, president, AT&T Mid Atlantic, said AT&T is working with universities and other nonprofits across New Jersey and around the country to help students make their biggest dreams a reality. The Stevens Pre-College Programs are a great way to introduce young people to possible high-tech careers.

“Through AT&T Aspire, we seek to remove barriers to academic success and career growth and help all students - regardless of age, gender or income — achieve their goals,” said Schweder. “With this contribution, we want to help more students enroll in the exceptional Stevens Pre-College program so they can prepare to become the state’s future technology leaders.”

Schweder added that the contribution is among many AT&T has made this year to prepare the Garden State’s young people for college and careers. All told, including today’s announcement, AT&T contributed $550,000 to Aspire-aligned programs across the state in 2017.

Pre-College Program participants engage in an immersive campus experience, where they live in residence halls, conduct hands-on projects with Stevens industry expert faculty, enjoy cultural excursions to New York City and site visits to leading companies and organizations, produce a final project, and acquire skills to strengthen their college applications. The programs provide an inspiring academic environment in fields ranging from cybersecurity, computer science, pre-medical and biomedical engineering, game design, coding, entrepreneurship and business.

Past participants report feeling more confident in their academic and social abilities, excited to go to college, and eager to pursue degrees in STEAM fields. Eighty-four percent of past participants who responded to a survey said they will be pursuing a career in either STEAM or Business education. 

Pre-College Programs run in a series of one and two-week long sessions. Participants will also be engaged in informational and mentorship programming throughout the year, including workshops focused on Writing the College Essay, Selecting a College: Tools and Strategies, Apply to College: Insider’s Guide, and Understanding Financial Aid and Scholarships. Visit the Pre-College Programs website for more information. 

About Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a premier, private research university situated in Hoboken, New Jersey overlooking the Manhattan skyline. Since our founding in 1870, technological innovation has always been the hallmark and legacy of Stevens’ education and research. Within the university’s three schools and one college, 6,900 undergraduate and graduate students collaborate closely with faculty in an interdisciplinary, student-centric, entrepreneurial environment. A range of academic and research programming spanning business, computing, engineering, the arts and other fields actively advances the frontiers of science and leverages technology to confront our most pressing global challenges. The university is consistently ranked among the nation’s elite for return on tuition investment, career services and the mid-career salaries of alumni.

Media contacts:
Katherine Cutler, Stevens Institute of Technology, [email protected], 201-216-5139
Daniel Langan, AT&T, [email protected], 717-215-5296