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San Luis Teens Learn About Coding At ‘Raspberry Jam’

Victor Calderón/KAWC
Middle school students in San Luis work on a coding exercise at a 'Raspberry Jam' at the AWC San Luis Technology Institute on Monday, May 20, 2019.

Teenagers in San Luis worked on coding Monday for Raspberry Pi, which is a computer system and not the edible dessert.

The Arizona Western College Informatics program and the Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma, or STEDY, held a “Raspberry Jam” for middle and high school students on Monday, the first event of its kind in Yuma County.

A Jam is an event where people with different levels of computing experience work on computer systems called Raspberry Pi, as in the math number. Officials say it’s important to promote STEM careers for underrepresented groups including females and Latinos.

Joselyn Medina is an academic advisor and outreach coordinator for the Informatics program.

“We’re hoping they get the gist of what it is to work with technology, to get them started with these kinds of programming, to let them know how fun it is," Medina said. "It’s exciting and you can do so many things in careers for today and tomorrow.”

Organizers said the event, which was held at the AWC San Luis Technology Institute, had about 30 students in attendance. The event began on time but was cut short due to an evacuation as San Luis firefighters arrived on the scene. Organizers said the event will be rescheduled.

Victor is originally from West Sacramento, California and has lived in Arizona for more than five years. He began his print journalism career in 2004 following his graduation from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. Victor has been a reporter for the following daily newspapers: The Monterey County Herald, The Salinas Californian and the Reno Gazette-Journal, where he covered stories including agriculture, education and Latino community news. Victor has also served as a local editor for Patch, a national news organization with hyperlocal websites, in Carmichael, California in the Sacramento area. He also served as the editor for The New Vision, the newspaper for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, which includes Yuma and La Paz counties. Victor lives in Somerton. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends and following most sports.
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