How Asurion cultivates the next generation of leaders in tech

Whether you’ve turned to Asurion to fix, protect, or learn more about your tech, we’re always here to help. Our commitment to people and technology goes beyond our more than 300 million customers worldwide. We‘re also deeply focused on mentoring the next generation of leaders in technology.

Here’s how we’re reaching students, both in Tennessee and across the country, and bringing opportunities in tech to those who might not otherwise have the chance to explore them.

National education partnerships

Asurion's college internship program has grown from 3 interns during our pilot in 2015 to 62 in 2022. Attracting talent from schools like the University of Michigan, Purdue University, Clemson University, and the University of Texas at Austin, our 12-week program features meaningful projects, collaborative work, and a business-case capstone for students interested in pursuing careers in technology, security, finance, data science, and product development.

We’re proud to report that, since 2019, 89% of our interns still work at Asurion and 75% have been promoted at least once in their field. These internships accounted for nearly 60% of growth among Black and Latino employees in professional and senior professional product roles between 2019 and 2022. While Millennials—who Gallup has called the “job-hopping generation”—tend to leave jobs within the first couple of years, we’ve seen many of our younger employees stick around longer.

“The internship helped push me and encourage me to get myself out there," said Jordan Lockridge, a former intern turned full-time data analyst at Asurion. “From my experience, it can be hard transitioning from school to work, and the internship was helpful getting out of that front gate.”

Reaching young people in underserved communities is another important aspect of our educational work. Last year, Asurion employees spent 5,000 hours mentoring elementary, middle, and high school students in STEM, literacy, career readiness, and other areas through organizations like KIPP Nashville, the Urban League of Middle Tennessee, and the Houston Area Urban League. Through the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, we support Troop 6000, which is for girls living in shelters, affordable housing, hotels, and other low-income or temporary living spaces.

We also partner with universities—including Duke, Vanderbilt, The University of California at Berkeley, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina State University—to teach students about data science, machine learning, AI, and math, using Asurion data sets.

Local education partnerships

At the local level, we bring hands-on technology experience to students of all ages across Tennessee. Our goal: to inspire and support young people interested in technology and create real pathways for them to start their careers.

Since 2011, Asurion has invested in Teach for America Nashville–Chattanooga, which has helped support hiring, internships, and summer learning opportunities, among other things. Over the last 12 years, we’ve been honored to hire 25 Teach for America alumni.

“Asurion values education and has provided critical resources to enhance the future of our students,” said Stephen Santellan, the executive director of Teach for America Nashville–Chattanooga. “We are grateful for their support and the impact they are having on students and teachers.”

Likewise, through our partnership with Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), we work with veterans pursuing technology degrees, recruiting them as well as providing them with internship opportunities and scholarships.

Every year, we also sponsor hackathons for college students to drive tech education forward. Our employees mentor students from across the U.S. as they collaborate on new ideas and technologies. In the fall, we’ll partner with Vanderbilt University’s VandyHack, a software development competition that challenges students to come up with a project and build it in 36 hours. In the winter, we’ll partner with MTSU’s HackMT, working with students during the weekend-long hackathon and judging a portion of the final event. The first prize: a college scholarship to the university funded by Asurion.

Through the Asurion-Fisk Scholars program, we also offer scholarships every academic year to a handful of Fisk University students pursuing degrees in computer science or data science. Recipients work regularly with a member of Asurion's Black Employees Supporting Talent Employee Resource Group, focusing on career development, career readiness, and understanding world events. Each scholar has the opportunity to interview for our award-winning Summer Undergraduate Internship Program.

Finally, we’re proud to have launched a pilot program with PENCIL, which connects businesses, universities, and other groups with Metro Nashville Public Schools, to help young people achieve academic success. This year, our collaboration provided two students in the STEM Academy at John Overton High School in Nashville with part-time, year-round internships at Asurion. They gained hands-on experience with customer relations and outreach, tech support, warranties, laptop imaging, and more. While neither student had planned to pursue higher education after high school, our program helped them change their minds—both decided to enroll at Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville for the fall of 2023. Next school year, we’re expanding the program to host more high school interns.

At Asurion, we don’t just take care of tech—we take care of people, and that starts with investing in their futures, across the U.S. and at home in Tennessee.