October 4, 2023
UPDATE
Apple sources are serving to Houston educators nurture the following technology of Hispanic leaders and innovators
By its Neighborhood Schooling Initiative, Apple companions with over 150 organizations to carry superior know-how expertise to college students of all ages
The youngsters are excited — you may hear them earlier than you see them. Teams of giddy 6-year-olds, boisterous preteens, and all ages in between flood into the health club. They’re every handed an iPad for the day, and directed to one in every of TechConnect’s 5 program exercise stations.
Noe Moreno and Giovanni Victorio, each 18, are prepared for them. The TechConnect interns have spent the morning making a racetrack for programmable Sphero robots that assist train the fundamentals of coding, and now they’re going to indicate the youngsters learn how to management them utilizing iPad. It’s the final TechConnect occasion of the summer time, and the 2 younger males are independently operating their station for the day. Their coach and mentor, Juan Marquez, stands again, watching proudly.
TechConnect was created in 2016 by Houston Metropolis Council Member Karla Cisneros to introduce superior know-how expertise like coding to youngsters that wouldn’t in any other case have the chance. In 2022, it grew to become one of many a whole bunch of applications supported by Apple’s Neighborhood Schooling Initiative (CEI), which was designed to carry coding, creativity, and profession alternatives to learners of all ages, and to communities which might be historically underrepresented in know-how.
Since its inception in 2019, CEI has reached tens of 1000’s of scholars in 99 nations and areas, and in all 50 United States, via its collaboration with greater than 150 academic companions. Apple gives {hardware}, monetary assist, scholarships, educator sources, and entry to Apple consultants who work facet by facet with organizations to reinforce studying experiences via know-how.
Juan Marquez has been concerned with TechConnect for the previous 12 months — and has been a part of Apple’s CEI programming in Houston from its inception, mentoring 1000’s of scholars and interns with Apple academic sources like Everybody Can Create and Everybody Can Code. He additionally teaches highschool pc science, and has used Apple know-how to reinforce topics as various as studying, social research, and science since he moved from his native Mexico to show within the U.S. in 2015.
“In the event you observe Apple’s studying supplies, they’re very user-friendly for educating younger individuals important studying expertise that may assist in each space,” says Marquez. “There are all the time examples of issues you may attempt that, immediately, you see outcomes. And I feel that’s essential as a result of as soon as college students hit a roadblock — and that is particularly essential in programming or coding — they will get pissed off. And with the iPad, you don’t have that.”
One of many sources Marquez has used is Apple’s Problem for Change Studying Collection, which inspires college students to resolve actual challenges of their communities utilizing know-how as a software. In the present day, Apple launched a brand new installment wherein Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai encourages learners to make use of storytelling to create optimistic change. Marquez is worked up to introduce this new materials to learners in Mexico and in his group in Texas.
The daddy of two has seen the optimistic influence of TechConnect from day one, particularly on college students from Houston’s Hispanic and Latinx communities. It’s what spurred him to carry this system throughout the border and introduce it to college students in Puebla, Mexico.
“This program is mind-blowing,” says Marquez. “Particularly coming from Mexico the place it’s tough to seek out sources, it grew to become so essential for me to carry this degree of alternative and studying to youngsters who’ve nearly no entry to know-how. I imagine that every one college students can do something, you simply want the suitable instruments, the suitable coach, and the suitable connection.”
Again within the health club, youthful chaos has been changed by intense focus. On the Sphero station, a brand new group of principally 12-year-old boys has joined. Moreno notices that one in every of them has completed the primary activity — utilizing his iPad to ship the Sphero to the top of the course — earlier than any of the others. Now his focus is shifting.
Moreno instantly leans in and asks if the coed can take his Sphero via the center of the course whereas avoiding all the foam limitations. “I wish to problem your considering,” he yells. “Use that large mind!”
Minutes later, activity accomplished, the coed lets out a whoop and raises his fist in triumph.
Moreno and Victorio have been TechConnect paid summer time interns for the final two years and have been rehired to run TechConnect festivals this fall. They see this system not simply as a chance to share their information of know-how, but additionally a technique to give again to their group.
“I actually do see it as an essential obligation,” says Victorio, who’s presently in his freshman 12 months finding out mechanical engineering on the College of Houston. “I really feel like there’s a type of ethical compass inside that steers you to redirect what you’ve been given and assist information others. And having a optimistic influence, particularly on youngsters who have been mainly me a number of years in the past, is actually superb.”
TechConnect is simply one of many applications supported via CEI within the Houston space that’s serving to younger individuals harness the ability of know-how. At Houston Neighborhood School (HCC), school members run an annual info know-how summer time camp that has launched greater than 2,500 center and highschool college students to a wide range of topics that incorporate coding utilizing Apple know-how.
The camp is the brainchild of Dr. Madeline Burillo-Hopkins, president of Houston Neighborhood School’s Southwest School, who has made it her mission to carry cutting-edge know-how and superior profession alternatives to her pupil physique. HCC was one of many first group schools within the nation to supply Apple’s App Improvement with Swift program in 2017.
“Once I began at HCC, I appeared on the knowledge and noticed that the numbers of ladies in our know-how applications have been low, and I knew I needed to work to vary that,” says Dr. Burillo-Hopkins, who grew up in Puerto Rico and was the primary in her household to go to varsity. “This camp helps younger ladies get into that pipeline early, and we all know that’s a important step. Apple’s assist is a large a part of that, and reveals younger Hispanic ladies and younger Black ladies what’s doable when it comes to being the following creators, builders, and innovators.”
Sisters Soleil and Lluvia San Miguel, 10 and 11, respectively, attended the camp for the primary time this summer time. Once they become older, Lluvia desires to be an astronaut, and Soleil desires to be a trainer and use coding in her classroom. Their mom, Blanca San Miguel, credit experiences just like the HCC camp with nurturing their curiosity in science and know-how.
“I needed to reveal them to extra alternatives than what I had after I was younger,” says San Miguel. “For Hispanic ladies particularly, it’s essential for them to know that STEM goes to indicate you countless potentialities for the longer term — and it’s positively not only for boys!”
To have a good time Hispanic Heritage Month, HCC is internet hosting dozens of occasions all through its campuses. The faculty is a acknowledged Hispanic-Serving Establishment, which means that at the very least 25 p.c of its pupil physique is Hispanic.
“Educating and integrating know-how and digital expertise among the many subsequent technology of Hispanic learners is critically essential,” says Dr. Burillo-Hopkins. “Particularly because the demographics of this nation change, and Hispanic and Latino communities develop and turn into a bigger proportion of the workforce, schooling is integral to a wholesome U.S. economic system.”
The day is coming to an finish at TechConnect, and the final group of scholars is quietly and intensely directing their Sphero robots via the course. Moments later time is up, the units are handed again, and the health club is once more crammed with noisy pandemonium as the scholars file out.
The interns begin to pack up their station and Marquez comes by for a remaining goodbye, exchanging contact info to allow them to keep in contact. The gesture means lots to each younger males.
“Juan is such an superior trainer,” says Moreno, who’s planning on finding out psychology on the College of Houston subsequent 12 months. “I’ve had lengthy conversations with him in regards to the work he’s doing right here and in Mexico and you may see how a lot he loves it and what it means to him. It’s a robust journey that he’s on and he’s actually serving to lots of people.”
For Marquez, there’s nothing extra essential than seeing college students he’s mentored like Moreno and Victorio thriving.
“I imagine that to ensure that studying to occur, there needs to be a connection between the learner and the trainer,” says Marquez. “Apple instruments are an enormous a part of that — they make studying enjoyable and interesting whereas serving to college students discover their very own method. And having the ability to see how any individual I helped is succeeding with out my assist — that’s actually an enormous reward for me. It makes me really feel proud. I really feel like my job is finished.”
Press Contacts
Aushawna Collins
Apple
(408) 974-1310
Apple Media Helpline