Timothy Mayorga didn’t even dream of going to college.

 No one in his family had gone past high school and he didn’t know where to start. He was a high school junior in in Houston when he heard about Genesys Works, a non-profit that provides meaningful internships at top corporations for economically disadvantaged high school seniors.

Tim was accepted for an internship in the AT&T engineering department, where he met his AT&T mentor Elizabeth Palomo. He started to envision his career path and navigate his plans after high school. Now, he’s a freshman at the University of Houston, studying petroleum engineering.

Today, at the National Opportunity in Washington, D.C., AT&T announced a $3 million contribution to Genesys Works to support more opportunities for high school students like Tim. The program operates in Houston, the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

The contribution is part of AT&T Aspire, the company’s signature philanthropic initiative focused on high school success and workforce readiness.

 “Because of the Aspire program, I’m the first in my family to go to college,” says Tim.

See more stories of the students and employees involved in the program here. And to learn more about Tim’s story watch  this video.