{"id":86358,"date":"2026-02-12T15:58:56","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T18:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/891832248"},"modified":"2026-02-12T15:58:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T18:58:56","slug":"qedc-att-and-bp-richards-donate-100-laptops-to-local-students-during-queens-tech-and-career-expo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/12\/qedc-att-and-bp-richards-donate-100-laptops-to-local-students-during-queens-tech-and-career-expo\/","title":{"rendered":"QEDC, AT&T and BP Richards donate 100 laptops to local students during Queens Tech and Career Expo"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"laptops\" <\/div>\n

QEDC Executive Director Ben Guttmann with one of the laptops that was given away.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of QEDC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Queens Economic Development Corporation<\/a> (QEDC), AT&T<\/a> and the office of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards collaborated to donate free laptops to 100 students on hand for the 2026 Queens Tech and Career Expo on Saturday, Jan. 31, at the New York Hall of Science<\/a>, located at 47-01 111th St. in Corona<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The students were all from schools in Queens Community School District 28<\/a>, which is comprised of the Briarwood<\/a>, Forest Hills<\/a>, Jamaica<\/a>, Kew Gardens<\/a>, Rego Park<\/a>, Richmond Hill<\/a>, South Ozone Park<\/a> and South Richmond Hill<\/a> neighborhoods. They were also given tutorials on how to use the laptops by representatives from the Queens Public Library<\/a> (QPL).<\/p>\n

<\/a>
QPL Learning Support Specialist Pingping Du (left) and QPL Outreach and Partnership Specialist EnMei Chen (right) provided training on computer usage. <\/span>Photo courtesy of QEDC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAccess to computers is essential to bridging the digital divide and providing them at such a pivotal moment in young people\u2019s development helps set them on a path toward lifelong learning and opportunity,\u201d QPL Assistant Director of Digital Inclusion Jin Hyun Bae said. \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to partner with the Queens Economic Development Corporation, AT&T and Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. to ensure these students have the tools and guidance to explore, create and thrive in a digital world, and we remain committed to supporting all young people in meeting their technology needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWatching the children smile when they received their computers was incredible. I hope they use them to learn, connect and build the next world-changing startup,\u201d QEDC Executive Director Ben Guttmann said. \u201cSpecial thanks to AT&T, Borough President Richards and the Queens Public Library for spearheading this effort and their continued partnership with QEDC.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to receiving the free laptops, the students also got to enjoy the Queens Tech and Career Expo, which featured over 50 technology experts giving presentations on a variety of topics, including artificial intelligence and learning labs. AT&T provided on-site demos at the event as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt AT&T, we\u2019re committed to helping ensure that every community can thrive in the digital age. Access to connectivity, devices and digital education is vital so that students can take full advantage of technology and put their imaginations to work,\u201d AT&T Northeast President John Emra said. \u201cWe\u2019re proud to collaborate with dedicated organizations like Queens EDC and the Queens Public Library, and grateful for the support of leaders like Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Queens is to become the nation\u2019s leading tech hub like we know it can and should be, we must break down the barriers to entry that have made it difficult for members of historically marginalized communities to fully participate in New York\u2019s fastest-growing economic sector,\u201d  Richards said. \u201cWith our annual Queens Tech and Career Expo and our many other tech-related initiatives, my administration is boldly tearing down these persistent barriers. Our entire borough and city are better off when everyone has a fair opportunity to benefit from the high-paying jobs that are increasingly available in the tech sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the AI revolution continues to drive our economy and society, it is more important than ever to make sure those from historically marginalized communities are not passed over for the many valuable opportunities available in the tech sector,\u201d Deputy Borough President Ebony Young said. \u201cThere is a deep pool of talented people in these communities who deserve the chance to contribute their knowledge and ideas to the development of technology. I am so pleased to work with Borough President Richards and his entire administration on connecting traditionally marginalized Queens residents to our city\u2019s tech and innovation spheres.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… young people in meeting their technology<\/span> needs.\u00e2\u0080\u009d \u00e2\u0080\u009cWatching the children … Queens Tech<\/span> and Career Expo, which featured over 50 technology<\/span> experts … take full advantage of technology<\/span> and put their imaginations … to the development of technology<\/span>. I am so pleased …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86358\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}