{"id":206837,"date":"2025-04-26T13:03:51","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T13:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/alabama\/alabama-teen-honored-with-connected-nations-2025-student-broadband-hero-award\/"},"modified":"2025-04-26T13:03:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-26T13:03:51","slug":"alabama-teen-honored-with-connected-nations-2025-student-broadband-hero-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=206837","title":{"rendered":"Alabama teen honored with Connected Nation\u2019s 2025 Student Broadband Hero Award"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Connected Nation has said they are excited to announce the 2025 Student Broadband Hero Award honoree \u2013 Altamont High School senior, Michael Schmalz. The national nonprofit has only given out four national awards in its 24 years of service. This is the first given to a student.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Birmingham teen planned and conducted several digital skills workshops for older adults as part of the\u00a0Teens Teach Tech, powered by AT&T, program<\/span><\/a>. Inspired by the positive change he observed while serving in his community, he started his own initiative to expand digital literacy across Alabama.<\/span><\/p>\n

Schmalz created \u201cDigital Harmonies<\/span><\/a>\u201d with the goal of providing devices and digital skills training to individuals in rural, low-income, and elderly communities across Alabama.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Wednesday, April 23, Michael was presented the 2025 Student Broadband Hero Award by Tom Ferree, chairman and CEO, CN, during a surprise event held at Altamont School in Birmingham, where he will graduate next month.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope that people can learn more about the Digital Divide and what it is and how they can take action to bridge it,\u201d said Michael, after receiving the award. \u201cI also hope that people remember as we move forward in an age that\u2019s increasingly dependent on devices that we agree to prioritize inclusion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur staff was amazed at how much Michael wanted to help others in his community and by how well he understands the importance of digital literacy,\u201d said Emily Jordan, vice president, Foundation and Education Initiatives, CN. \u201cHe not only leveraged our program to help older adults learn some essential digital skills, but he also used the incentive funds earned through Teens Teach Tech, powered by AT&T, to kick-start a digital literacy program to reach more Alabama residents. That included purchasing devices for the program. He\u2019s truly an exceptional teen who\u2019s deserving of this honor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

How the Teens Teach Tech, powered by AT&T, program works<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Teen-led teams offer hands-on workshops, one-on-one mentorship sessions, virtual sessions, and community events that cover a variety of digital skills. These skills range from basic computer literacy to understanding mobile devices, staying safe online and much more.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The program provides training materials created by the Public Library Association in collaboration with AT&T, startup funds, financial incentives, and ongoing support and mentorship for the teen-led teams. It is ready-to-go and perfect for after-school programs, summer programs, youth programs and other youth-based organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The program is being utilized by teens in 40 states who have trained (at this writing) over 22,000 older adults since 2023.\u00a0It\u2019s a great cross-generational experience for both teens and adults. To learn more about how to kick-start a team in your community, go to\u00a0connectednation.org\/teensteachtech<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMichael exemplifies what\u2019s possible when young people are empowered with the tools and support they need to make a difference,\u201d said Terri Williams, lead External Affairs, AT&T Alabama. \u201cThrough the Teens Teach Tech, powered by AT&T, program he\u2019s not only helped others, but he\u2019s inspired a movement for student digital navigators across the state. We\u2019re proud to support this important work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Broadband Visionary Award honorees<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

The 2025 Student Broadband Hero Award is the first time CN is nationally honoring a student\u2019s work. The national nonprofit has given out a similar honor \u2013 called the Broadband Visionary Award \u2013 only four times in its 24- year history.<\/p>\n

The past awardees for that honor are former Iowa Governor and former U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad; Colonel M. Blaine Hedges, USA (Retired); Robin Ancona, Director, Telecommunications Division, Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC); and jointly, KGW-TV in Portland, Oregon; Fort Bend Independent School District in Sugar Land, Texas; and, jointly, RFD-TV and the American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington, D.C. for their work on \u201cA National Conversation on the Digital Divide<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Founded in 2001, the national nonprofit\u2019s mission is to improve lives by providing innovative solutions that expand access to and increase the adoption and use of broadband (high-speed internet) and its related technologies for all people. Everyone belongs in a Connected Nation. Learn more at connectednation.org.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

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Connected Nation has said they are excited to announce the 2025 Student Broadband Hero Award honoree \u2013 Altamont High School senior, Michael Schmalz. The national nonprofit has only given out four national awards in its 24 years of service. This is the first given to a student. The Birmingham teen planned and conducted several digital […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":206838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11763],"tags":[12750,4096,14467,17709,78986,4721,25450,78987,15715,6763,1928],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-206837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alabama","tag-alabama","tag-award","tag-broadband","tag-connected","tag-digital-literacy","tag-hero","tag-honored","tag-michael-schmalz","tag-nations","tag-student","tag-teen"],"yoast_head":"\nAlabama teen honored with Connected Nation\u2019s 2025 Student Broadband Hero Award - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=206837\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alabama teen honored with Connected Nation\u2019s 2025 Student Broadband Hero Award - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Connected Nation has said they are excited to announce the 2025 Student Broadband Hero Award honoree \u2013 Altamont High School senior, Michael Schmalz. 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