By Isaac Ceja / Special for Real America News
04 Oct 2023, 21:10 PM EDT
Los Angeles County hosted the second annual Tech Empowerment Day at a private event at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
The evening was exclusively for approximately 6,000 sixth through twelfth grade students in Los Angeles County to give them hands-on experience and behind-the-scenes exposure to advanced technologies.
There were more than 35 representatives from public and private sector companies such as Google and Microsoft, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office was also part of the event. In addition, there were raffles for computers, speakers and more.
Tech Empowerment Day is part of Delete The Divide, a county-led initiative to advance digital equity in underserved communities through partnerships, infrastructure investments and technology resources.
Delete The Divide’s service offerings include paid internships, professional information technology certificates, free laptops for constituents in need, digital literacy training, and assistance with enrollment in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program.
According to a survey conducted by USC and the California Emerging Technology Fund in 2021, the digital divide is both an urban and rural problem; 19% of Los Angeles County households and 20% of Central Valley households are unconnected or dependent on smartphones.
Nearly a quarter, 24%, of Hispanics are unconnected or restricted to their smartphones. Other groups have more access to technology, for example, only 5% of whites are not connected and only 4% of them are limited to smartphones.
Digital inequality is greatest among Hispanics who only speak Spanish, as only 65% are connected, while 25% are offline and 10% rely on smartphones.
Jackeline Fuentes, an intern with the Delete The Divide initiative, sat under a tent waiting for school students to find out if their passes had the right number to win a prize.
According to Fuentes, the initiative recognizes that there are still people who do not have access to internet or fast internet, so the most important goal of the initiative is to make sure that digital divide is improved.
As an intern she typically works in Los Angeles public libraries to see if anyone needs technical support with printers, computers, and computer scans.
But today Fuentes is very happy to be able to work on an event that is very important for students who want to learn more about technology.
“There are many people who need the internet to access fundamental things like applying for a job. “Everyone deserves the right to have digital resources, regardless of their origin,” Fuentes said.
Directly in front of the iconic entrance to the Los Angeles Coliseum were Google representatives with service tables for students.
One of the activities was a craft in which students learned how circuit boards work. They used a small battery, copper tape, and a small light bulb to illuminate drawings they made.
Reymund Dumlao, Google’s director of public sector in the west, said the event is an incredible opportunity for Los Angeles County for students to learn about various jobs.
“Today is a great day to make sure kids understand that all these opportunities with technology exist and that these companies care about them finding a path to success,” Dumlao explained.
Camila Medrano from Traweek High School sat under the shade of a building with a smile because she had just won an award.
He won a raffle ticket in a marshmallow cell tower building competition.
After four people were not there to receive their prize, the fifth ticket belonged to Medrano.
With the fifth ticket, Medrano won a Bluetooth speaker and says that the first thing he is going to listen to is music from the 80s.
Medrano came to the event with her robotics class and says that one day she would like to work for NASA as a rocket scientist, but she would never want to be an astronaut.
“I’m one of those child astronomers who are good at never going to space. I just want to stay here,” Medrano said.