WEBVTT

00:00:05.292 --> 00:00:09.999
>> 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50.

00:00:09.999 --> 00:00:13.083
Okay we are all
good with timecode.

00:00:13.083 --> 00:00:26.459
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:00:26.459 --> 00:00:34.542
>> Cleo Parker Robinson Dance
is a 52 year institution for

00:00:34.542 --> 00:00:36.250
community.

00:00:36.250 --> 00:00:41.999
Not only in dance, but
the arts, healing, and

00:00:41.999 --> 00:00:42.999
instruction.

00:00:42.999 --> 00:00:46.876
And that instruction
is wide based.

00:00:46.876 --> 00:00:51.709
Especially now that we are
in the field of technology.

00:00:51.709 --> 00:00:57.292
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:00:57.292 --> 00:00:58.999
I am very proud of it.

00:00:58.999 --> 00:01:01.167
They do not even know it but I
talk about them all the time.

00:01:01.167 --> 00:01:06.959
As the technical director for
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance I

00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:12.334
am in charge of all things
technical, a lighting designer

00:01:12.334 --> 00:01:18.125
will bring me a plot and it
is up to me to figure out the

00:01:18.125 --> 00:01:18.999
math of the lights.

00:01:18.999 --> 00:01:21.999
I have to figure out the
programming of the board,

00:01:21.999 --> 00:01:28.375
video, the science of editing
all the different music needed

00:01:28.375 --> 00:01:28.999
for production.

00:01:28.999 --> 00:01:34.792
We work together to make sure
that whatever production is

00:01:34.792 --> 00:01:40.292
brought forward by Cleo, we
are able to technically bring

00:01:40.292 --> 00:01:41.125
it to life.

00:01:41.125 --> 00:01:43.626
>> We are blessed.

00:01:43.626 --> 00:01:45.375
>> Just tying it all together.

00:01:45.375 --> 00:01:54.375
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:01:54.375 --> 00:01:55.876
>> What is S.T.R.E.A.M.?

00:01:55.876 --> 00:01:58.667
>> S.T.R.E.A.M. that is my baby.

00:01:58.667 --> 00:02:03.918
S.T.R.E.A.M is science
technology robotics engineering

00:02:03.918 --> 00:02:04.918
arts and media.

00:02:04.918 --> 00:02:10.709
It is a technical theater,
stem-based program where young

00:02:10.709 --> 00:02:14.125
scholars learn not just the
basics of lighting, audio,

00:02:14.125 --> 00:02:20.375
video, but outside of the
box thinking, of how to take

00:02:20.375 --> 00:02:26.959
robotics, coding, data science,
kinetics, and create in the

00:02:26.959 --> 00:02:30.167
realm of productions.

00:02:30.167 --> 00:02:33.999
>> Thank you so much.

00:02:33.999 --> 00:02:38.042
>> When I look on the stage I
see decades and decades of

00:02:38.042 --> 00:02:45.375
history, I see opportunity
for the future, I see the

00:02:45.375 --> 00:02:53.876
opportunity for us to narrow
the gap in that digital

00:02:53.876 --> 00:02:55.417
divide.

00:02:55.417 --> 00:03:03.167
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:03:03.167 --> 00:03:05.709
>> For several decades we've
had this term the digital

00:03:05.709 --> 00:03:08.918
divide and it's looked at
the fact that there are

00:03:08.918 --> 00:03:12.250
communities in this country
that have not had access to

00:03:12.250 --> 00:03:12.999
the Internet.

00:03:12.999 --> 00:03:16.042
Over time that's also
meant not having access to

00:03:16.042 --> 00:03:19.999
devices and not having digital
skills training and all those

00:03:19.999 --> 00:03:20.459
other things.

00:03:20.459 --> 00:03:22.334
So there's been this digital
divide that has evolved over

00:03:22.334 --> 00:03:27.751
time, and gotten worse in many
respects so digital equity is

00:03:27.751 --> 00:03:28.751
about closing that divide.

00:03:28.751 --> 00:03:36.999
>> I don't believe communities
understand when we say digital

00:03:36.999 --> 00:03:37.959
equity.

00:03:37.959 --> 00:03:43.918
I don't think they understand
that we are really behind.

00:03:43.918 --> 00:03:50.250
When you wake up every day and
you have access to bandwidth

00:03:50.250 --> 00:03:54.999
and devices, you do not
understand the complexities of

00:03:54.999 --> 00:03:57.876
digital equity for everyone.

00:03:57.876 --> 00:04:04.999
There are many young scholars
who come to me and I explain

00:04:04.999 --> 00:04:09.709
to them the programming and
the opportunities that they

00:04:09.709 --> 00:04:13.459
have and they go
wow, that's great.

00:04:13.459 --> 00:04:20.999
So I will learn how to use
Internet-based devices to do

00:04:20.999 --> 00:04:25.167
professional lighting,
professional audio, robotics,

00:04:25.167 --> 00:04:28.999
and I told them yeah.

00:04:28.999 --> 00:04:31.834
If you follow these
instructions.

00:04:31.834 --> 00:04:37.000
That's when I find out that
they do not have the access

00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:41.000
needed or the devices needed.

00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:46.999
Helping to close the digital
divide truly is something I

00:04:46.999 --> 00:04:50.999
think about for the American
people and for Coloradoans and

00:04:50.999 --> 00:04:53.792
as we have all experienced
the pandemic, access to the

00:04:53.792 --> 00:04:56.999
Internet is an absolutely
vital part of participating in

00:04:56.999 --> 00:04:58.709
modern society.

00:04:58.709 --> 00:05:02.918
It's not okay to have people
having to go to McDonald's and

00:05:02.918 --> 00:05:05.042
sit in the parking lot
and do their homework.

00:05:05.042 --> 00:05:09.459
It's not okay to deny people
access to telemedicine.

00:05:09.459 --> 00:05:13.792
It's not okay to deny
people access to economic

00:05:13.792 --> 00:05:14.876
opportunities.

00:05:14.876 --> 00:05:16.999
That's what's been happening.

00:05:16.999 --> 00:05:19.542
The digital divide
as Commissioner [indiscernible]

00:05:19.542 --> 00:05:23.292
said, it's not new but it's
time that we close it.

00:05:23.292 --> 00:05:27.042
This is a critical
imperative for all of us.

00:05:27.042 --> 00:05:33.083
It is a core civil rights
issue, how we enable access to

00:05:33.083 --> 00:05:34.667
affordable accessible
broadband.

00:05:34.667 --> 00:05:43.334
We still have 48 million low
income Americans who remain

00:05:43.334 --> 00:05:44.709
disconnected from
the Internet.

00:05:44.709 --> 00:05:47.999
Disproportionately so,
communities of color remain

00:05:47.999 --> 00:05:50.209
the households that
are disconnected.

00:05:50.209 --> 00:05:55.042
The older generation
especially in black and

00:05:55.042 --> 00:05:58.584
communities of
color, it's fear.

00:05:58.584 --> 00:06:03.751
Fear of somebody will get my
identity, someone will take

00:06:03.751 --> 00:06:06.709
all my information
and use it against me.

00:06:06.709 --> 00:06:15.042
So these fears combined with
instruction that's not there,

00:06:15.042 --> 00:06:21.501
the gap is getting bigger
and bigger and bigger.

00:06:31.209 --> 00:06:32.209
>> My name is Roy
Barnett Junior.

00:06:32.209 --> 00:06:36.918
I am the Dean of Technology
here as well as a media arts

00:06:36.918 --> 00:06:37.125
teacher.

00:06:37.125 --> 00:06:42.667
So right now we're working
on music production.

00:06:42.667 --> 00:06:44.209
>> Can I do it on my computer?

00:06:44.209 --> 00:06:46.999
>> When you think about
American culture for example,

00:06:46.999 --> 00:06:50.167
it was created by young
black and brown students.

00:06:50.167 --> 00:06:50.626
Kids.

00:06:50.626 --> 00:06:52.999
And all that I'm doing is
simply showing them the tools.

00:06:52.999 --> 00:06:58.167
And you listen to the things
and what they do it's already

00:06:58.167 --> 00:07:02.042
within them so giving them
the access of being able to use

00:07:02.042 --> 00:07:03.417
those tools.

00:07:03.417 --> 00:07:04.999
It's recording.

00:07:04.999 --> 00:07:07.542
>> Hi my name is Dianni.

00:07:07.542 --> 00:07:11.999
>> Being the Dean of
Technology, during Covid it

00:07:11.999 --> 00:07:15.999
was such a traumatic
experience for students.

00:07:15.999 --> 00:07:19.999
And I am in no way saying that
what I went through compared

00:07:19.999 --> 00:07:24.417
to what some of the families
went through, but literally I

00:07:24.417 --> 00:07:29.292
could have 10 students that
needed hotspot for example to

00:07:29.292 --> 00:07:31.834
be able to access
the Internet.

00:07:31.834 --> 00:07:33.292
To be able to go to school
and then I would have 3.

00:07:33.292 --> 00:07:37.999
And I would have to decide who
gets to school and who does

00:07:37.999 --> 00:07:38.709
not get to go to school?

00:07:38.709 --> 00:07:44.459
As you see just how things
like that should be a given,

00:07:44.459 --> 00:07:46.626
you should not have kids
sitting outside of libraries

00:07:46.626 --> 00:07:50.834
or Taco Bells and restaurants
trying to access the Wi-Fi.

00:07:50.834 --> 00:07:54.918
And sometimes those companies
come off for those people and

00:07:54.918 --> 00:07:59.999
then you realize that it is a
utility, it's called velocity

00:07:59.999 --> 00:08:05.334
sensitivity, so like the
harder you hit it, the louder it

00:08:05.334 --> 00:08:05.792
plays.

00:08:05.792 --> 00:08:11.584
I am originally from Tulsa
Oklahoma, North Tulsa Oklahoma

00:08:11.584 --> 00:08:15.501
it's very segregated, so I
grew up in an environment

00:08:15.501 --> 00:08:16.209
somewhat similar to here.

00:08:16.209 --> 00:08:19.999
And as you learn more and more
about the community you start

00:08:19.999 --> 00:08:21.626
to understand the community
better and you start to

00:08:21.626 --> 00:08:25.375
understand why the community
distrusts education and you see

00:08:25.375 --> 00:08:31.334
how the past really really
devastated them because school

00:08:31.334 --> 00:08:33.834
is a fundamental aspect
of the community.

00:08:33.834 --> 00:08:38.751
So an octave listen,
do you hear this?

00:08:38.751 --> 00:08:43.375
Does it sound different?

00:08:43.375 --> 00:08:50.375
I think that it's so easy to
go down the wrong path and I

00:08:50.375 --> 00:08:57.083
don't want to ever sound like
it's an automatic for the

00:08:57.083 --> 00:09:00.501
students and that's one of the
things that I think is so

00:09:00.501 --> 00:09:01.667
important about the story.

00:09:01.667 --> 00:09:05.751
Allowing them to again take
control of their story,

00:09:05.751 --> 00:09:08.999
because like a teller, no one
is going to know who you are

00:09:08.999 --> 00:09:09.542
until you tell them.

00:09:09.542 --> 00:09:12.999
And so they have to tell
people who they are.

00:09:12.999 --> 00:09:15.375
You think about the creators
and you think about who is

00:09:15.375 --> 00:09:20.167
creative culture, and I refuse
to believe that these students

00:09:20.167 --> 00:09:22.834
aren't geniuses.

00:09:22.834 --> 00:09:26.292
I refuse to believe that they
aren't actors and musicians

00:09:26.292 --> 00:09:32.501
like engineers, simply having
access to certain things.

00:09:41.501 --> 00:09:44.999
>> I've always had an interest
in computers, ever since I was a

00:09:44.999 --> 00:09:45.542
little kid.

00:09:45.542 --> 00:09:48.626
Growing up I was the little
family computer technician, if

00:09:48.626 --> 00:09:52.999
there was something going on
with grandma's computer, 7 year

00:09:52.999 --> 00:09:56.167
old Zane was who had to fix it.

00:09:56.167 --> 00:10:00.125
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:10:00.125 --> 00:10:00.876
I am Zane McCune.

00:10:00.876 --> 00:10:05.042
I'm 18 years old and I am a
computer technician at PCs for

00:10:05.042 --> 00:10:05.542
People.

00:10:05.542 --> 00:10:10.042
Computer hardware does not age
as badly as a lot of people

00:10:10.042 --> 00:10:14.792
think it does, it can stay
operational years after it was

00:10:14.792 --> 00:10:15.000
made.

00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:18.375
Can you say 128 solid-state?

00:10:18.375 --> 00:10:20.083
Is that right?

00:10:20.083 --> 00:10:22.209
[indiscernible]

00:10:22.209 --> 00:10:25.999
>> What we do here is we take
that functional hardware, it's

00:10:25.999 --> 00:10:29.918
old but still functional and
we restore it back and we put

00:10:29.918 --> 00:10:34.959
new batteries in it, make sure
the RAM is good, put white

00:10:34.959 --> 00:10:35.334
drives in it.

00:10:35.334 --> 00:10:39.000
And then we sell it to lower
income families in order to

00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:44.375
get them access to computers
and the Internet at affordable

00:10:44.375 --> 00:10:44.834
pricing.

00:10:44.834 --> 00:10:47.751
>> How many computers do you
think are in this building?

00:10:47.751 --> 00:10:51.999
>> So computers in this
building there's probably a

00:10:51.999 --> 00:10:54.999
few thousand as
far as laptops go.

00:10:54.999 --> 00:10:57.000
Desktops, probably in
the thousands as well.

00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:02.125
>> It's going to be in the
tens of thousands honestly.

00:11:02.125 --> 00:11:12.125
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:11:12.125 --> 00:11:18.125
>> I learned a great deal of
my computer knowledge just by

00:11:18.125 --> 00:11:18.999
watching YouTube videos.

00:11:18.999 --> 00:11:25.209
I used the Internet as a
learning resource, that is my

00:11:25.209 --> 00:11:25.999
preferred way of doing it.

00:11:25.999 --> 00:11:29.709
I do my best to not sit there
scrolling through Instagram and

00:11:29.709 --> 00:11:31.709
not by just scrolling
through TikTok.

00:11:31.709 --> 00:11:34.999
I want to learn more about
computers and more about what

00:11:34.999 --> 00:11:36.501
they can do and
how to use them.

00:11:36.501 --> 00:11:41.999
Having access to the Internet
has really allowed me to

00:11:41.999 --> 00:11:46.125
advance myself in positive
ways and I would not be here

00:11:46.125 --> 00:11:49.999
if it was not for the fact
that I know how to use the

00:11:49.999 --> 00:11:55.999
Internet, and so I think that
everyone should at least be

00:11:55.999 --> 00:11:58.999
awarded the
opportunity to do that.

00:12:04.083 --> 00:12:08.876
>> I moved to Colorado at the
beginning of seventh grade and

00:12:08.876 --> 00:12:12.209
at that point I did
not have home Wi-Fi.

00:12:12.209 --> 00:12:15.167
Whenever I needed to do some
serious work on the Internet,

00:12:15.167 --> 00:12:20.209
I had to spend hours a day in
the public library near where

00:12:20.209 --> 00:12:20.751
I live.

00:12:20.751 --> 00:12:22.834
That was how I
got my work done.

00:12:22.834 --> 00:12:30.167
I gained full access to the
Internet when I was in my

00:12:30.167 --> 00:12:32.000
sophomore year of high school.

00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:37.999
After I got my Internet is
really when my foray into

00:12:37.999 --> 00:12:40.999
learning about computers
really kicked off.

00:12:40.999 --> 00:12:44.999
I really do just
crave information.

00:12:44.999 --> 00:12:51.542
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:12:51.542 --> 00:12:52.000
>> I love it here.

00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:54.999
Yeah, it's a very calm
environment, very relaxed.

00:12:54.999 --> 00:12:57.834
I feel like it's really
right up my alley.

00:12:57.834 --> 00:13:01.999
Replacing a battery in a
laptop is really easy and I

00:13:01.999 --> 00:13:03.999
don't think a lot of people
understand that, they just

00:13:03.999 --> 00:13:06.751
want to buy the new thing
because it's the new thing.

00:13:06.751 --> 00:13:11.834
And that generates a lot of
waste, we call it e-waste, PCs

00:13:11.834 --> 00:13:15.000
for People our mission really is
to try to cut back on that, and

00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:19.083
to try and take these used
components that are still more

00:13:19.083 --> 00:13:23.626
than functional and get them
to people who maybe cannot

00:13:23.626 --> 00:13:29.501
spend 500 or 800 or 1200
or $3000 on a laptop.

00:13:29.501 --> 00:13:33.959
Some older stuff is perfectly
serviceable and will do the

00:13:33.959 --> 00:13:40.209
job just fine for what 90% of
people need a laptop for, then

00:13:40.209 --> 00:13:41.999
why not give it to them?

00:13:41.999 --> 00:13:46.375
Why not make it as affordable
as possible and get people the

00:13:46.375 --> 00:13:50.209
hardware that they need to
unlock the opportunities that

00:13:50.209 --> 00:13:51.751
come along with it?

00:13:51.751 --> 00:14:00.125
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:14:00.125 --> 00:14:02.584
>> Occasionally one of our
customers will need some

00:14:02.584 --> 00:14:06.000
technical assistance and our
customer service team will

00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:06.626
come get me.

00:14:06.626 --> 00:14:10.999
We're good at translating
computer problems, and

00:14:10.999 --> 00:14:11.999
computer solutions.

00:14:11.999 --> 00:14:15.876
I want to help people know how
to solve their own problems.

00:14:15.876 --> 00:14:21.292
So I really do my best to
explain the problem and

00:14:21.292 --> 00:14:23.292
explain how I can
get the solution.

00:14:23.292 --> 00:14:27.125
All right, what do you
want to name the computer?

00:14:27.125 --> 00:14:28.250
>> It's Dan.

00:14:28.250 --> 00:14:29.626
>> Nice to meet
you Dan, I am Zane.

00:14:29.626 --> 00:14:32.209
>> Thanks for
helping me out here.

00:14:32.209 --> 00:14:33.250
>> Yeah you're welcome.

00:14:33.250 --> 00:14:37.209
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:14:37.209 --> 00:14:38.999
>> And this thing is
set up and good to go.

00:14:38.999 --> 00:14:39.417
>> Okay.

00:14:39.417 --> 00:14:42.999
>> Sure we can be like oh yeah
let's check this thing in for

00:14:42.999 --> 00:14:46.375
repair and give it back to
them in a couple of days and

00:14:46.375 --> 00:14:48.000
then be like okay here's
your computer it's good now.

00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:52.042
Yeah the computer is well now
but they did not learn anything.

00:14:52.042 --> 00:14:57.083
Working here I know that what
I'm doing is helping people, I

00:14:57.083 --> 00:15:00.626
am contributing and I know
that I am actively playing a

00:15:00.626 --> 00:15:06.375
part in making other people's
days and lives a little bit

00:15:06.375 --> 00:15:06.876
better.

00:15:06.876 --> 00:15:09.959
Even though I am but one
employee at a national company,

00:15:09.959 --> 00:15:15.250
I still am important,
I still am cranking out I

00:15:15.250 --> 00:15:19.626
would say maybe 100
computers a week.

00:15:19.626 --> 00:15:24.542
Becoming a wealth of knowledge
when it comes to using

00:15:24.542 --> 00:15:27.834
computers and using the
Internet, keeping everything

00:15:27.834 --> 00:15:31.167
safe and just doing that at
an extremely high level, and

00:15:31.167 --> 00:15:37.501
profiting from it, that is
what I would consider success

00:15:37.501 --> 00:15:37.999
for me.

00:15:37.999 --> 00:15:44.209
Right now, I am taking a
cybersecurity class from CU

00:15:44.209 --> 00:15:44.667
Boulder.

00:15:44.667 --> 00:15:49.667
Cybersecurity seems like a
great computer pathway and

00:15:49.667 --> 00:15:53.375
simply an interesting thing
to learn that's going to

00:15:53.375 --> 00:15:54.959
stimulate my brain
and make me happy.

00:15:54.959 --> 00:16:00.999
To me, I hope to not stagnate
and never stagnate and I hope

00:16:00.999 --> 00:16:03.709
to just find a taller hill.

00:16:03.709 --> 00:16:08.375
Even when I'm an old man I
still want to be trying to do

00:16:08.375 --> 00:16:13.751
more, I want to still be
expanding whatever I'm capable

00:16:13.751 --> 00:16:14.584
of.

00:16:14.584 --> 00:16:25.999
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:16:25.999 --> 00:16:28.959
>> The Denver Youth
Empowerment Center the

00:16:28.959 --> 00:16:31.584
objective is to be a safe
zone, where individuals can

00:16:31.584 --> 00:16:34.334
come here and be able to work
on their homework, work on

00:16:34.334 --> 00:16:38.167
other different trainings for
other jobs, and be able to

00:16:38.167 --> 00:16:41.999
obtain jobs as well as be
able to have healing and

00:16:41.999 --> 00:16:44.125
entrepreneurial
opportunities as well.

00:16:44.125 --> 00:16:46.375
>> I think it's very important
for the community because

00:16:46.375 --> 00:16:49.751
there are so many things going
on in the world and I don't

00:16:49.751 --> 00:16:52.999
think that parents are super
aware of the things

00:16:52.999 --> 00:16:54.501
that are going on in the
street, and literally just

00:16:54.501 --> 00:16:58.250
from your kid getting on the
bus to go to the gym or to go

00:16:58.250 --> 00:17:01.626
to the library to study, there
are so many things that can

00:17:01.626 --> 00:17:03.292
happen and so many
uncertainties and so I think

00:17:03.292 --> 00:17:06.542
places like this where kids can
go to a place with tutoring

00:17:06.542 --> 00:17:10.250
opportunities and exercise
opportunities and so many

00:17:10.250 --> 00:17:13.999
things you can learn and do
in a safe environment is super

00:17:13.999 --> 00:17:14.626
important.

00:17:14.626 --> 00:17:20.999
>> So the Internet at my
house sucks really bad.

00:17:20.999 --> 00:17:23.999
I never use my home Internet
because it's like better

00:17:23.999 --> 00:17:24.417
without.

00:17:24.417 --> 00:17:27.542
>> Yes it's frustrating
because how many times you

00:17:27.542 --> 00:17:30.501
have to do it over and over
and like after you restart

00:17:30.501 --> 00:17:34.083
your stuff and everything, and
it still does not work, that

00:17:34.083 --> 00:17:35.125
gets more frustrating.

00:17:35.125 --> 00:17:40.209
>> If they have their basic
needs met, it creates an

00:17:40.209 --> 00:17:40.999
umbrella of a safety net.

00:17:40.999 --> 00:17:44.000
Knowing that I do not have to
just survive anymore, I can

00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:45.792
start striving
within the world.

00:17:45.792 --> 00:17:48.626
And then the psychological
aspect of it, you know it

00:17:48.626 --> 00:17:51.167
brings ease where we are not
in a fright flight or freeze

00:17:51.167 --> 00:17:54.918
and we are not in survival
anymore, we can start striving

00:17:54.918 --> 00:17:58.626
that creates hope and
motivation and determination

00:17:58.626 --> 00:18:02.999
to allow us to continue moving
forward and to be able to

00:18:02.999 --> 00:18:03.959
sustain the efforts.

00:18:03.959 --> 00:18:06.292
And that's what they
really really provides and

00:18:06.292 --> 00:18:08.999
allows us to help provide
for the community and each

00:18:08.999 --> 00:18:12.125
individual family basis
in the community basis.

00:18:12.125 --> 00:18:16.000
>> I think it means a lot of
things, like we live in such a

00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:19.417
world of opportunity, so there
are so many ways that you

00:18:19.417 --> 00:18:20.626
could be connected
or disconnected.

00:18:20.626 --> 00:18:26.250
So I think connectivity to me
would mean just feeling like

00:18:26.250 --> 00:18:29.000
I'm open to opportunity.

00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:32.999
Like I have so many outlets
and that sort of thing.

00:18:32.999 --> 00:18:34.999
>> Connectivity is essential.

00:18:34.999 --> 00:18:47.000
[indiscernible]

00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:51.626
>> "It has to be very
big with many ingredients."

00:18:51.626 --> 00:18:54.459
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:18:54.459 --> 00:18:56.375
>> My name is [indiscernible].

00:18:56.375 --> 00:18:57.792
I am from Columbia.

00:18:57.792 --> 00:19:00.999
I married with Felipe.

00:19:00.999 --> 00:19:08.125
and he is studying his PhD at
the Colorado School of Mines

00:19:08.125 --> 00:19:08.999
in Denver.

00:19:08.999 --> 00:19:12.542
And we have a daughter,
she is Maria [indiscernible]

00:19:12.542 --> 00:19:14.792
and she's 6 1/2 years old.

00:19:14.792 --> 00:19:23.999
We arrived here in 2018 at the
end of the year, and it was a

00:19:23.999 --> 00:19:30.501
hard transition because we have
all of our things in Columbia.

00:19:30.501 --> 00:19:34.792
My job, Felipe's job too,
Maria [indiscernible]

00:19:34.792 --> 00:19:36.999
was starting preschool.

00:19:36.999 --> 00:19:41.918
And our family, our own space.

00:19:41.918 --> 00:19:47.751
But we have a big opportunity
for Felipe continuing his

00:19:47.751 --> 00:19:48.834
studies.

00:19:48.834 --> 00:19:52.834
And we decided to
move without anything.

00:19:52.834 --> 00:19:56.417
It was in winter.

00:19:56.417 --> 00:20:00.999
"The craziness that
is here outside."

00:20:00.999 --> 00:20:07.167
We felt happy to see Felipe
because he moved in three

00:20:07.167 --> 00:20:10.125
months earlier than us.

00:20:10.125 --> 00:20:14.375
We arrived and got this
one-bedroom apartment.

00:20:14.375 --> 00:20:19.999
>> I remember we received a
box with the modem and power

00:20:19.999 --> 00:20:20.918
cord.

00:20:20.918 --> 00:20:25.834
It started to work, the
Internet was really really

00:20:25.834 --> 00:20:31.959
easy and in our country, it's
something takes three or five

00:20:31.959 --> 00:20:35.999
days to get anything.

00:20:35.999 --> 00:20:40.042
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:20:40.042 --> 00:20:42.999
>> I started English
classes in January and

00:20:42.999 --> 00:20:47.999
Maria started her class at
preschool in January too.

00:20:47.999 --> 00:20:55.000
And he went in January and
February and some days in

00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:55.999
March.

00:20:58.417 --> 00:21:04.459
COVID started was
crazy for everybody.

00:21:04.459 --> 00:21:06.751
And of course for us.

00:21:06.751 --> 00:21:14.292
Maria stopped going to school, I
stopped going to my English

00:21:14.292 --> 00:21:14.751
lessons.

00:21:14.751 --> 00:21:22.542
And suddenly Felipe was in
front of a screen, I was the

00:21:22.542 --> 00:21:30.209
same, Maria [indiscernible]
was trying to be in her class.

00:21:30.209 --> 00:21:33.918
She was three years old.

00:21:33.918 --> 00:21:37.584
And she did not know
anything about English.

00:21:37.584 --> 00:21:48.959
I am missing my family
of course, my hometown is called

00:21:48.959 --> 00:21:49.334
Tamesis.

00:21:49.334 --> 00:21:56.999
It's a small town, there are
coffee growers and this is the

00:21:56.999 --> 00:21:58.959
reason why I love coffee.

00:21:58.959 --> 00:22:03.125
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:22:03.125 --> 00:22:09.083
I have my mom in Colombia, my
brother, and Felipe's family.

00:22:09.083 --> 00:22:17.292
And it was the hardest
part at the beginning.

00:22:25.042 --> 00:22:30.709
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:22:30.709 --> 00:22:34.584
>> The Internet allowed us to
stay connected when we need or

00:22:34.584 --> 00:22:40.751
want, it is a very good tool
to stay in touch with people

00:22:40.751 --> 00:22:43.042
that we are missing.

00:22:43.042 --> 00:22:51.709
We have everything connected
at home, we have Alexa who

00:22:51.709 --> 00:22:53.918
plays the radio.

00:22:53.918 --> 00:23:09.584
In Colombian... she plays
Colombian stations on our

00:23:09.584 --> 00:23:16.501
phones, the watch is connected
to it because I exercise and I

00:23:16.501 --> 00:23:24.626
have my routines and also when
we bike, we have some apps to

00:23:24.626 --> 00:23:27.876
monitor our performance.

00:23:27.876 --> 00:23:33.626
The Internet allowed us to
stay connected with our

00:23:33.626 --> 00:23:33.999
family.

00:23:33.999 --> 00:23:37.834
And our friends and our
professional life too.

00:23:37.834 --> 00:23:43.167
Felipe can study and take his
classes doing his research and

00:23:43.167 --> 00:23:49.250
in that case I can be more in
activities to stay connected

00:23:49.250 --> 00:23:50.042
in Columbia.

00:23:50.042 --> 00:23:56.083
And also to learn from the
Internet, how to prepare our

00:23:56.083 --> 00:23:59.334
favorite recipes, or
Maria [indiscernible]

00:23:59.334 --> 00:24:05.083
improving her pronunciation
through some apps or some

00:24:05.083 --> 00:24:07.709
videos or listening to music.

00:24:07.709 --> 00:24:13.292
They are helping even to
improve my pronunciation or my

00:24:13.292 --> 00:24:14.667
level of English.

00:24:14.667 --> 00:24:24.375
To feel that I can work or
stay connected, I don't feel

00:24:24.375 --> 00:24:32.709
so far from my family and
don't feel concerned to stay

00:24:32.709 --> 00:24:35.709
far from home.

00:24:35.709 --> 00:24:40.876
This is kind of a
big surprise for me.

00:24:40.876 --> 00:24:42.999
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:24:42.999 --> 00:24:48.167
>> We have a good quality of
time to share and to learn as

00:24:48.167 --> 00:24:53.999
a family, and we feel pretty
lucky for that opportunity.

00:24:53.999 --> 00:24:58.999
♪ [Music playing] ♪

00:24:58.999 --> 00:25:02.083
>> I think about something
that the great iconic civil

00:25:02.083 --> 00:25:04.250
rights figure representative
John Lewis said about the

00:25:04.250 --> 00:25:09.042
Internet, he said that
Internet access is a civil

00:25:09.042 --> 00:25:10.918
rights issue of
the 21st century.

00:25:10.918 --> 00:25:14.999
It's important to achieve
digital equity and to close

00:25:14.999 --> 00:25:18.999
the digital divide, as a
fairness matter and civil

00:25:18.999 --> 00:25:21.375
rights issue, but also an
economic issue because in

00:25:21.375 --> 00:25:24.876
terms of the competitiveness
of the US workers, US

00:25:24.876 --> 00:25:30.999
students, and US relative to
the world, our GDP, it's an

00:25:30.999 --> 00:25:31.876
economic issue as well.

00:25:31.876 --> 00:25:37.999
>> One of the worst things I
hear is this idea of saving

00:25:37.999 --> 00:25:41.626
these kids, they don't need
saving, they just need society

00:25:41.626 --> 00:25:44.375
to not be racist
that's all they need.

00:25:44.375 --> 00:25:53.209
They are amazing, and so like
they don't need me, I'm just

00:25:53.209 --> 00:25:56.125
showing them what's
already inside of them.

00:25:56.125 --> 00:26:06.999
>> Digital equity is access,
devices, instruction, and the

00:26:06.999 --> 00:26:13.250
ability to erase fear
of using all the above.

00:26:13.250 --> 00:26:13.250
♪ [Music playing] ♪