Indiana Students Receive Free Laptops During WNBA All-Star Weekend

Hundreds of Indiana students received free laptops as part of WNBA All-Star weekend festivities. AT&T, the WNBA, and Human-I-T collaborated to distribute 220 refurbished laptops to middle and high school students attending the Indiana Black Expo's Youth Leadership Summit.

Human-I-T spokesperson Angelique Cruz noted that some students did not have digital devices at home, despite having homework that required online submissions. Others were excited about having basic access to the internet.

“Another student said that she loved fashion,” Cruz said. “So, she was really excited about going on Pinterest and creating boards.”

According to US Census data, more than five million households lack any type of computing device. AT&T is working towards a $5 billion campaign to connect 25 million people to high-speed internet by 2030, aiming to bridge the “digital divide”.

Cruz said, since the laptops are refurbished from large corporations, the event helps bridge the digital divide while battling e-waste. “They might have laptops or old desktops laying around, but they’re perfectly good to be used,” Cruz said. “And we go through a really sophisticated process to wipe them all for data security, and then we take those and give them back to communities that are in need.”

Dallas Wings guard DiJonai Carrington also met with students during the event inside The Westin Indianapolis' Grand Ballroom.

AT&T has distributed over 1,450 devices to Indiana students and families since 2021.