Society has a stereotypical vision of the mindset of children growing up in today’s society. Many people believe kids growing up are only concerned about themselves, but in Isabella Martinez’s case they couldn’t be further from the truth. A junior at Western Center Academy is hosting classes to help senior citizens become more familiar with technology.
Isabella’s idea began when she noticed her great-grandmother was facing challenges when communicating with the rest of the family. Isabella began teaching her grandma how to use Skype, an online video service to communicate with people. The idea began to grow, and Isabella said, “Thanks to Marlene Sullivan, my idea became a reality. Marlene encouraged Isabella to call senior citizens in the surround area to see if they would be interested in attending a free technology class, and from there Net4Seniors began.
Isabella has already hosted five classes. She is hoping to expand the idea to other high schools statewide, and some day nation-wide. She said she is happy to be able to bridge the divide of communication with senior citizens. She noticed that seniors often feel isolated due to their lack of understanding electronic forms of communication. She hopes her project will allow more families to connect on a regular basis and allow senior citizens to be more involved in 21st century technology
Isabella isn’t stopping here. While this project, along with her studies, keep her plenty busy, she is still on the lookout to find other ways to help those in need. Just recently she visited family in Tijuana, Mexico, and noticed a large number of refugees from Africa, Ethiopia, and Honduras, at a local church. The Martinez family asked what they could do to get involved and help the refugees. They are currently collecting clothes, baby lotion, deodorant, and other items for these families.
In addition to these projects, Isabella is also focused on her future. After high school she wants to attend college to pursue a career in international business or law. She attended a week-long camp in Washington D.C. where she and other students were able to present a case in front of a judge. The experience truly fascinated her, and she is looking into studying intellectual property law, which focuses on securing and enforcing legal rights to inventions, designs, and artistic works.
If you are interested in volunteering to help teach a technology class to senior citizens, or you are interested in taking this class, please visit Net4Seniors.org.