.
. WELCOME
. WELCOME BACK. HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE DIGITAL
DIVIDE?
BASICALLY IT IS THE INABILITY
TO ACCESS AFFORDABLE INTERNET
AND IT IS A REAL DETERRENT TO
EDUCATION AND PANDEMIC IS ONLY
INTENSIFIED THIS NEED AND MANY
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR HAVE BEEN
THE HARDEST HIT WITH EVEN LESS
ACCESS TO THE INTERNET THAN
BEFORE.
I SPOKE WITH WASHINGTON
CHANCELLOR TONYA DRAKE T
MOBILE'S KEISHA TAYLOR AND G.U.
ALLUM EDWARD PINTO.
THERE ARE MANY BARRIERS TO
OPPORTUNITY IS THE ONE THAT
REALLY COMES TO MIND FOR ME IS
ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY.
OUR WORLD HAS REALLY BEEN
TURNED UPSIDE DOWN DURING THE
PANDEMIC AND INDIVIDUALS
ABILITY TO ACCESS INFORMATION,
LEARNING RESOURCES IS REALLY
BASED ON THEIR ABILITY TO
ACCESS THE INTERNET AND THE
DIGITAL DIVIDE HAS REALLY I
THINK COME TO THE FOREFRONT
OF ACCESS ISSUES DIGITAL EQUITY
IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALL NEED
TO CERTAINLY BE AWARE
OF INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY NOT HAVE
ACCESS BECAUSE IT'S NOT
AVAILABLE WITHIN THE
COMMUNITIES THAT THEY LIVE IN
OR FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY HAVE
ACCESS BUT THEY CAN'T AFFORD
THE MONTHLY COST HAS REALLY
SHOWN US THE IMPORTANCE OF THE
AREAS THAT WE NEED TO BEGIN TO
BRIDGE THAT DIGITAL DIVIDE.
AND ONE WAY YOU'RE WORKING ON
BREAKING THOSE BARRIERS I
UNDERSTAND ESPECIALLY IN TERMS
OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE YOU'RE
WORKING WITH T-MOBILE AND
KEESHA.
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE
PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU AND YOU?
SO WE STARTED HAVING THESE
GREAT CONVERSATIONS JUST ABOUT
CONNECTIVITY AND WHAT ARE THE
OPTIONS.
ANY TIME WE'RE TALKING TO
UNIVERSITIES PARTICULARLY WITH
THE CONVERSATION WITH YOU
BECAUSE THE LEADERSHIP TEAM WAS
SO OPEN AND SO INNOVATIVE AND
READY TO REALLY STRATEGIZE
AROUND THIS ISSUE STARTED OFF
JUST TALKING THROUGH WHAT IS
TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION LOOK
LIKE?
WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR
THE HIGHER EDUCATION SPACE.
RIGHT.
AND THEN EXPLORING OF COURSE
THE UNDERLYING ISSUES
OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND
INCLUSION.
THIS IS A FULL CIRCLE
CONVERSATION AND IT CAN'T BE
SILOED INTO ONLY TALKING ABOUT
THE CONNECTIVITY.
RIGHT.
THERE ARE SOME UNDERLYING
FACTORS THAT ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO
THE LACK OF ACCESS AND SO WE
HAVE REALLY STRATEGICALLY
BOUGHT AND BROUGHT IN OUR
SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAMS AND
WORKED HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE ARE TALKING THROUGH
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
OPPORTUNITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES
TO INNOVATE AND BRIDGE THE
DIGITAL DIVIDE ACROSS THE
UNIVERSITY.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE
PARTNERSHIP AND I WANT TO ASK
YOU HOW YOU PERSONALLY OVERCOME
BARRIERS TO EDUCATION AND
OPPORTUNITY.
I GRADUATED FROM A A SMALL
SCHOOL QUINCY IN CENTRAL
WASHINGTON IN HIGH SCHOOL I WAS
NOT THE GREATEST STUDENT AND
PART OF THAT WAS BECAUSE I DID
NOT HAVE TECHNOLOGY AT HOME.
I DIDN'T HAVE A LAPTOP.
I DID NOT HAVE A COMPUTER.
I DID NOT HAVE RELIABLE
INTERNET OR
THAT
THAT WAS
THAT WAS REALLY IMPACTFUL AND BECAUSE OF THIS I WAS NOT ABLE TO DO
HOMEWORK AT HOME.
I HAD TO WAIT TO GET TO SCHOOL
TO DO MY HOMEWORK AT SCHOOL
BECAUSE I WAS THE ONLY PLACE
WHERE I HAD RELIABLE INTERNET
AND A COMPUTER TO USE.
SO DEFINITELY AT A HIGH SCHOOL
LEVEL I WAS IMPACTED BY THAT.
I GRADUATED FROM CENTRAL FIVE
YEARS AGO WITH MY DEGREE IN
SPANISH EDUCATION AND I BECAME
THE FIRST ONE IN MY FAMILY TO
GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE.
THANK YOU.
IT WAS A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT
FOR US AND I SAY US BECAUSE I
FEEL LIKE IT WAS A FAMILY
THING.
WE WORKED TOGETHER FOR THIS FOR
THIS DEGREE MY PARENTS SERVED
AS MY MOTIVATION.
THEY WERE MY MOTIVATION.
I WANTED TO MAKE THEM PROUD AND
MY FOUR YOUNGER SISTERS AS
WELL.
I WANT TO SERVE AS A ROLE MODEL
AS A POSITIVE ROLE.
LAST SUMMER I GRADUATED WITH MY
MASTERS AND THROUGH YOU AND I
PICKED YOU BECAUSE OF THE COST
AND BECAUSE IT WAS ONLINE TONYA
AND KEISHA, I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU
KIND OF TOGETHER TO TALK ABOUT
W.G. YOU AND T-MOBILE SHARE
SIMILAR MOTTOS.
WE WON'T REST AND WE WON'T
STOP.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO BOTH
OF YOU RESPECTIVELY AFTER WE
HAVE IN SO DELIGHTED TO WORK
WITH T-MOBILE EARLY ON WE JUST
HAD SOME FANTASTIC
CONVERSATIONS AND WE BEGAN TO
REALLY FORMALIZE THAT OUR
MISSIONS WERE SO SIMILAR TO
PROVIDE ACCESS TO OTHERS IN SO
MANY MEANINGFUL WAYS.
AND YOU'RE RIGHT AT THE AMIGA
WE WON'T REST UNTIL OUR
STUDENTS ARE SUCCESSFUL AND
THAT HAS CERTAINLY BEEN A MOTTO
THAT WE'VE SHARED WITH
T-MOBILE.
WE DO SAY WE WANT START RIGHT
AT THE AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL.
A LOT OF TIMES RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION STARTS BEFORE YOU
EVEN GET A STUDENT ON CAMPUS.
RIGHT.
IT STARTS AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
GRADE LEVEL.
IT STARTS YOU KNOW, AT THE HIGH
SCHOOL GRADE LEVEL WORKING WITH
YOU HAS PROVIDED US
OPPORTUNITIES TO REALLY STEP
THAT UP AGAIN AND SAY HOW DO WE
LEVERAGE OUR EXISTING
PARTNERSHIPS?
HOW DO WE BRING IN OTHER PEOPLE
TO THIS CONVERSATION AND OTHER
REALLY AMAZING PRIVATE PUBLIC
PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AND
FIGURE OUT INNOVATIVELY WHAT'S
BEST FOR STUDENTS.
AND THEN YOU HAVE STEPPED UP
AND T-MOBILE HAS STEPPED UP AND
WE WON'T STOP NOW PARTNERSHIPS
ARE REALLY KEY TO SOLVING THE
DIGITAL DIVIDE AND YOU WON'T
REST UNTIL STUDENTS HAVE THE
ACCESS THEY