Intel Computer Clubhouse participants tell their stories
Both a physical place and a learning philosophy, the Intel Computer Clubhouse is
designed to motivate and inspire individual young people, creating ideas and opportunities
in technology. Here's a look inside a few of their lives.
Nancy discovered the Intel Computer Clubhouse at age
12 and turned her life in a new direction. She not only learned useful technology
skills, but found the support she'd been lacking at home including the ability to
form sisterly bonds with some of her mentors. Nancy not only found a supportive,
fun environment to turn to, but was eventually hired as a teen leader, at 16, an
assistant for Girls Day, and at 17, assistant manager of the Computer Clubhouse.
She later earned a B.A. in information systems and sociology and recently completed
a paid internship at Intel. "The Clubhouse helped me realize that I'm capable of
doing almost anything. For somebody who had never even touched a computer before,
I now have a degree in information systems. It seems amazing to me, the possibilities."
Read more (PDF;
1 page)
Latoya took an hour-long train ride by herself to get
to the Clubhouse after school. She especially liked to come on Mondays when, as
she said, "no guys are allowed." The Clubhouse sets aside Mondays as Girls Day,
a special time for young women to work with technology in ways that are relevant
and inviting to them, with the support of female mentors and staff.
Latoya was introduced to the Clubhouse through Beyond Black Boxes, a special science
program for girls developed by the Computer Clubhouse* in collaboration with the
Girl Scouts. "I have a pretty clear picture of what I want to do. I want to be a
computer engineer. I didn't like science at first, but now I love it, and I love
computers." Latoya became a teen mentor at the Computer Clubhouse, inspiring younger
girls to explore their interests and ideas.
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Sean went to a Clubhouse for the first time when he was
a 17-year old high school student in Boston, Massachusetts. Sean became the Clubhouse
resident "expert" in 3DStudio Max*, an advanced system used by professional architects
and animators. He said his greatest achievement at the Clubhouse was his design
of the Clubhouse logo in 3D. "A lot of people here make movies and the logo can
be used on them. I'm glad it came out the way it did."
"It was a friend who told me I should come to Clubhouse. When he told me about it,
I thought it was a tree house. He didn't come with me, though. I went alone. It
was a little scary... If I hadn't come to Clubhouse, I'd be pretty bored. I'd be
staying at home all day watching TV."
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Francisco (or Cisco, as his friends call him) moved
between the Dominican Republic, New Jersey, and Boston seven times before finally
settling in Boston and discovering the Clubhouse. Cisco flourished at the Clubhouse,
and is now a mentor. "My advice for a first-timer is 'come back.' Most kids do.
They get impressed by the stuff and people here to help."
With what he has learned at the Clubhouse, and from a mentor who impressed upon
him that there is always a way to overcome barriers, Cisco went to college and worked
part-time at the MIT Media Lab.
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Chatiana is a student in South Central Los Angeles.
She is being raised by her father and grandmother, since her mother died of AIDS.
"Living in the city is sometimes frightening, not always a positive environment.
This is one of the reasons why the Clubhouse is essential to help us achieve our
goals for the future," says Chatiana. According to Clubhouse Coordinator Natashka
Jones, when Chatiana first came to the Clubhouse, she was "quiet and afraid to express
what she thought or felt. She worked on one program over and over. She finally looked
up one day and said, 'What other software can I work on?' She wanted to build a
house on the computer like she had seen on TV." The two of them installed the software
and Chatiana "sat there for hours working on her project." She says, "The Clubhouse
is not just a place where you play on the computer; the Clubhouse offers an educational
experience for youth in our community."
Siana, a teen mother, has become an excellent leader
in only seven months as a Clubhouse member. She recently wrote a petition for a
grant that was awarded to the Clubhouse to create a mural that would depict a positive
message about her community. "She presented her proposal and won the hearts of 20
adults who listened to her passion for the Clubhouse and what it has done for her
and her baby," says Luversa Sullivan, Tacoma, Washington Clubhouse coordinator.
Siana is completing high school and aspires to be an entrepreneur. She currently
leads a youth project called RISE, for which she is being paid, and has started
her own janitorial service to help support herself and her child.
Richard left school when he was 11 years old, footloose
and unsure about his future but determined to make music. Now he has ambitions to
run his own record company or to be involved in the entertainment industry. In addition
to recording and mixing his own music, Richard is also developing his own Web site
and has discovered that he has real talent for graphic arts, animation, music, and
Web design. He credits this new focus and commitment to his active participation
in Dublin's Intel Computer Clubhouse.
