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Computer Mentors offers programming training for youth

 
Jonathan Wenzel, standing, helps STEM Corps summer camp student Tikera Daniel with her website design.
Jonathan Wenzel, standing, helps STEM Corps summer camp student Tikera Daniel with her website design.
Published July 16, 2015

TAMPA — When she graduates high school in four years, Tikera Daniel, 14, wants to pursue a career as a crime scene investigator.

A career in computer programming or web design doesn't hold much interest for the former Jennings Middle School student.

But this summer, Tikera will immerse herself in learning new technological skills while building a website for a local nonprofit as a participant of Computer Mentors' STEM Corps Summer Camp.

In a recent class, Tikera and two other students hunched over laptops, working with mentors to design and code their personal websites. Tikera said she's enjoying the camp, but building an aesthetically pleasing website that has good content is not easy.

"It's difficult finding different things to put on your website," she said.

Tikera is one of 15 students participating in the free camp, a condensed version of the year-round program of the same name. STEM Corps, the camp and KidsCode, a free computer programming class for students in grades 4 through 8, are testaments to how far Computer Mentors has come since its founding by Ralph Smith in 1997 as a volunteer project where students learned basic IT and computer skills.

Fast-forward 18 years, and Smith is the full-time executive director of Computer Mentors, which now operates in its own offices on Martin Luther King Boulevard, boasts a staff of 10 and trains dozens of students each year through its after school and summer camp programs.

While Smith had the vision for Computer Mentors, he said growing and sustaining the program has been a community effort.

"This was something that I really knew was needed, and I stepped out on faith to do it," he said. "One of my jobs is to give people a venue to give back because that's what it's about."

Recently, Computer Mentors received a $35,000 financial gift from the Bank of America Charitable Trust Foundation and a $10,000 donation from the Wells Fargo Foundation for both STEM Corps and KidsCode.

Jeannie Bohn, STEM Corps program director, said the money will help the programs expand into other tech arenas, such as gaming.

Longtime STEM Corps participant Kenneth Williams is headed to Florida Polytechnic University in the fall to study computer science and information technology. The Tampa Bay Technical High School graduate said exposure to the STEM Corps program strongly influenced his decision to enter the computer field.

"They actually do help you through the process to learn … new skills for employment," he said.

Participation in Computer Mentors programs can run anywhere from six months to several years. Bohn said it's not unusual for students to get their feet wet in the summer camp and continue with Computer Mentors until they graduate high school.

Whether a summer camper or year-round participant, the goal is the same, she said.

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"We hope they end (the series of classes) with a portfolio of projects that can help them become employed," she said.

Designed for high school students, participants in the STEM Corps earn a certificate in Microsoft applications before choosing one of three technology tracks — mobile app development, web design or videography — to apply those skills.

The bulk of the program centers on providing students the training, exercises and assessments necessary to become proficient in various digital tools, such as WordPress, Adobe Photoshop and HTML. Participants then apply that knowledge to a real-world project — gratis — as an act of paying it forward.

Like Tikera, Joseph Gutschmidt, 15, said he isn't sure if a computer-related career is in his future, but he signed up for the camp to learn more about videography.

Still, Joseph said he's excited about the technical training he'll receive in the camp.

"It's a good way for kids to learn about jobs and skills like coding," he said.

Tikera, Joseph and their fellow STEM campers will spend the summer creating a website, mobile app and promotional video for American Now, a Pasco County nonprofit that promotes civil education.

American Now co-founder Noemi Schott said the campers assistance will aid tremendously in the growth of her organization.

"Without Computer Mentors, this … would be impossible," she said.

For more information on Computer Mentors, visit computermentors.org.