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Partnership with Hispanic Scholarship Fund Focuses on Increasing Educational Achievement through Integrated Scholarship and Internship Program for Hispanic Community College Students ATLANTA, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- When Ralph de la Vega started to attend Miami Dade Community College, he knew he was on his way to reaching his goals. Today, as he sits in the executive suite of Cingular Wireless as the company's Chief Operating Officer, he wants to ensure that other students have access to the same opportunity. De la Vega is the force behind a new Cingular Wireless program designed to expand educational opportunities for outstanding Hispanic community college students by equipping them with both a scholarship and an internship at Cingular to help advance their academic professional skills. "We know that many Hispanic students need to work while they attend school just as I did," said de la Vega. "We want to offer our scholars the financial support of our scholarships as well as the opportunity to gain experience in a professional environment while earning some income." This year $100,000 has been awarded in Cingular's scholarships through the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) with the primary focus being students attending community colleges. Also, Cingular's scholarship recipients can apply for an internship at Cingular, where they can gain work experience at a Fortune-50 company. "Cingular's community college scholarship program, together with the option of an internship, adds an important element to bridging the gap in our education pipeline and further demonstrates Cingular's commitment to supporting the Hispanic community and our nation's future workforce," said Sara Martinez-Tucker, president of HSF. Interns who participate in the program will work at Cingular stores for a period of three months, gaining experience in retail sales, retail operations, sales marketing and special promotions. Internships will be available to selected students in local participating Cingular stores that are near the schools they are attending. "Cingular recognizes that, for the majority of U.S. Hispanics, the road to a college or university degree begins at the community college level," said de la Vega. "We also recognize that many of these students need professional work experience and additional income. At the same time, Cingular benefits by having more Hispanics in our workplace." Community and two-year colleges represent a major gateway to higher education for many Hispanic students. Affordable tuition, part-time programs and evening classes make it easier for students who need to continue to work while in college and/or desire to stay close to their families. Cingular is heavily focused on the Hispanic market, providing culturally relevant products and services and professional opportunities to the community. The company's leadership team includes three senior-level Hispanic executives. Earlier this year Cingular converted 20 percent of its stores to better serve the Hispanic community. In 2006 Cingular was named the best company for Hispanics by DiversityInc magazine and, for the third year in a row, LATINA Style magazine named Cingular one of America's top 50 companies for Hispanic women. About Cingular Wireless Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 57.3 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE:BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/. Get Cingular Wireless press releases emailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com/. DATASOURCE: Cingular Wireless CONTACT: Maria Schnabel of Cingular Wireless, +1-404-236-6432, or Web site: http://www.cingular.com/ http://cingular.mediaroom.com/

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