HughesNet and National 4-H Honored with a 2023 Silver Stevie® Award for Fostering the STEM Leaders of Tomorrow

HughesNet and 4-H collaboration recognized within the Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year category in the 2023 American Business Awards^®

GERMANTOWN, Md., May 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), an EchoStar company (Nasdaq: SATS), announced today that it has won a Silver Stevie^® Award for its corporate social responsibility program, in collaboration with National 4-H Council, designed to inspire and educate the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) leaders. Driven by a societal shift toward virtual environments and at-home learning, HughesNet^®, the leading satellite internet service, supports 4-H, America's largest youth development organization, in developing high-quality STEM resources to supplement a virtual K-12 curriculum. This includes consistently delivering innovative hands-on STEM activities for youth looking to expand their knowledge beyond traditional STEM education.

Together, HughesNet and 4-H launched a free online platform featuring interactive educational activities that young people can access from home. In 2022, HughesNet helped 4-H pioneer the platform's first all-digital and immersive content experiences such as "How Do Satellites Communicate?," an augmented reality (AR) experience, and "Space Exploration," a two-part interactive "mission," to engage thousands of young people. HughesNet-sponsored pages helped drive 49% of all traffic to the educational platform.

"Just as we are committed to connecting Americans to essential internet access, we are committed to providing young people with essential access to STEM education in our work with 4-H," said Peter Gulla, senior vice president, Hughes. "This award exemplifies the shared goal of HughesNet and 4-H to provide the next generation with the tools and confidence to explore STEM in new and exciting ways, no matter where they live."

Since 2014, Hughes has worked with 4-H to help inspire young people's interest in STEM through engaging, high-quality educational content and STEM-focused initiatives. In addition to supporting 4-H online programming, HughesNet is the sponsor of the 4-H Youth in Action STEM Pillar Award, which recognizes exceptional 4-H'ers, such as 2022 winner Dhruv Rebba and 2023 winner Nicole Cash, for their innovative STEM skills to create a lasting impact within their communities.  

Here's what this year's Stevie® Award judges had to say about the HughesNet and 4-H program, which was recognized in the Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year category in the 2023 American Business Awards®:

• "'HughesNet and 4-H: Fostering the STEM Leaders of Tomorrow' represents a well-conceived campaign for STEM that is interesting, exciting and beneficial."
• "This is a great CSR campaign and shows impressive engagement numbers. I really like the Youth in Action Award and the feature on the previous winner. I also very much appreciate the diversity in…imagery that's so important for children to see representation."
• "The organization's focus on providing high-quality digital resources and immersive experiences during the pandemic has helped reach a larger audience, including those in rural areas. Additionally, HughesNet's sponsorship of 4-H Youth in Action STEM Pillar award highlights its commitment to promoting exceptional STEM Youth."

"Preparing today's youth to become tomorrow's STEM leaders begins with a commitment to education," according to Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO, National 4-H Council. "As we evolved our growing online education platform with the introduction of Clover, a comprehensive learning management system, HughesNet continued to serve as our preeminent partner, helping 4-H populate the site with a series of new online STEM activities that engage students, parents, and educators while meeting their increased desire and preference for digital experiences."

"It is very gratifying for us to be able to recognize the achievements of such a wide variety of organizations, teams, and individuals in the 21^st ABAs, and we look forward to bringing them together in New York on June 13 to celebrate with them," said Maggie Miller, president of the Stevie Awards.

The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.'s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2023 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA. For more information about HughesNet, visit www.HughesNet.com.

About Hughes
Hughes Network Systems, LLC, an EchoStar (Nasdaq: SATS) company, provides broadband equipment and services; managed services featuring smart, software-defined networking; and end-to-end network operation for millions of consumers, businesses, governments and communities worldwide. The Hughes flagship internet service, HughesNet^®, connects millions of people across the Americas, and the Hughes JUPITER™ System powers internet access for tens of millions more worldwide. Hughes supplies more than half the global satellite terminal market to leading satellite operators, in-flight service providers, mobile network operators and military customers. A managed network services provider, Hughes supports approximately half a million enterprise sites with its HughesON™ portfolio of wired and wireless solutions. To learn more, visit www.hughes.com or follow HughesConnects on Twitter and LinkedIn.

©2023 Hughes Network Systems, LLC, an EchoStar company. Hughes and HughesNet are registered trademarks and JUPITER is a trademark of Hughes Network Systems, LLC.

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