Junior Achievement of Chattanooga brought financial literacy lessons to at-risk students in Chattanooga as part of a contribution from AT&T, through its signature philanthropic initiative AT&T Aspire. Last Wednesday, Sequoyah High School students received an AT&T mentoring opportunity through the JA Job Shadow program, which provided students a firsthand glimpse into a professional career.
JA Job Shadow begins in the classroom with three sessions to help students learn more about careers, including how to identify a career based on interests, steps in researching potential jobs, and developing job-hunting skills like networking and interviewing.
The students then will visit an AT&T office to shadow an employee for half a day to see first-hand how education translates to a satisfying and successful career.
“Some students may not have had strong positive role models in their daily lives,” said Brigette Thurman, president for Junior Achievement. “If this is the case, it can be harder for students to visualize success. With AT&T, we are giving students the opportunity to be exposed to different paths and to help them see that they too can achieve a rewarding career.”
During the 2016-2017 school year Junior Achievement and AT&T seek to impact more than 7,000 students nationwide. "This could not be achieved without the support of AT&T mentors who connect with students to help them discover their passions and potential. This collaboration is part of AT&T Aspire, the company’s signature philanthropic initiative to promote student success in school and beyond," officials said.
“Mentoring is a two-way street and our volunteers also learn so much from the students,” said Ed Ryan, manager of Network Services. “The students and mentors both walk away feeling inspired. They’ve talked about passions, values, encouragement, education – you name it. These students are ultimately the future of our company, and other companies worldwide, and it’s important to invest in them now.”
"The collaboration between Junior Achievement of Chattanooga and AT&T is a continuation of their joint commitment to providing supplemental learning experiences that help young people in the community develop the competence, confidence, and character to make smart academic and economic decisions," officials said.
See what students and AT&T mentors who have completed JA Job Shadow have to say about the program at
http://youtu.be/L3NWazI2_UM.