Marissa Shorenstein
An Update From Marissa Shorenstein — President AT&T New York
In an increasingly competitive global environment large tech-communications companies can’t focus only on its consumer base but also have to invest in preparing the workforce, says a senior AT&T executive.
AT&T, which employs 300,000 people around the world is increasing its partnership with New York City’s public school system and other independent organizations to help increase the number of young African American and Latino students who pursue STEM education and get early exposure to tech training, says Marissa Shorenstein, President AT&T New York. “We are very committed to STEM programs around New York City,” Shorenstein says, in an interview with The Black Star News.
The company gave the City a $1.7 million grant for a pilot program to expand STEM education and is looking to broaden its partnership with the public school system and also a program with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
This past summer the company also supported a program called All Star Code which offers day-long summer tech-boot camps to young Black male students. It also lets them access tech-based jobs early in their careers. AT& T also supports the summer STEM-oriented program at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn as well as after-school programs for more training for youth.
On the consumer front the company now offers free Wi-Fi and mobile-charging stations in several parks in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and The Bronx. “AT&T is a global company but at the core we are committed to serving our customers in each of the five boroughs,” Shorenstein says. “We want them to have the best network performance and we’ve made hundreds of upgrades for high speed connectivity.”
Free WiFi locations in Brooklyn are at: McCarren Park; Herbert Von King Park; Fort Greene Park; Brooklyn Bridge Park; and, Prospect Park. The free solar mobile charging stations are at Coney Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park.
AT&T also has introduced a low-cost mobile plan providing 1.5 gigabytes of high-speed data and unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada with no contract at $40 per month that doesn’t require credit checks; the details of other new products are available on the company’s website and also in any of its stores in the five boroughs.
Sponsorship also includes the Books Beneath the Bridge, a weekly book series with local bookstores held in Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Brooklyn Book Festival, the largest free literary event in New York and the Northeast’s largest book festival; the company also supports economic development by working with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
