Community Learning Center empowers local residents

Businesswoman Irma Nuñez used to pay someone $50 a week to prepare her PowerPoint presentations. After enrolling in a computer course at the Community Learning Center at Arizona State University, Nuñez now has the skills and confidence to construct her own presentations.

Nuñez was one of approximately 50 graduates who received a program certificate on June 26 from ASU and the Institute Tecológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in México, after completing a four-month course.

“I basically started from scratch. I didn’t know how to turn on a computer or knew the function of a mouse,” said Nuñez, a 47-year-old Phoenix resident. “It’s a great satisfaction knowing that I can now do this all on my own and I’m very proud of myself.

The Computer Learning Center (CLC) is located at ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus, 411 N. Central Ave., Suite 171, Phoenix. This year’s graduates completed courses in Basic Computer, English and HTML Web Design.

“Many participants come to this program feeling obsolete, insecure and uneducated, and are looking for a patient person to teach them how to use a computer,” said Rosa Molinar, the CLC’s executive coordinator. “We enjoy helping human beings by presenting technology as a communication tool and as an electronic pencil that will improve their educational goals.”

As a partnership between ASU and the Institute Tecológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in México, the CLC offers local residents self-guided and tutored online courses in Spanish and English. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for Arizona’s underserved populations, particularly low-income communities by increasing educational access and economic self-sufficiency.

The CLC is open to everyone in the public, from families that want to learn how to use a computer to adults who would like to continue their education through online certification courses. Classes are available for all ages. For more information on the CLC, call (602) 496-0362 or visit http://clc.asu.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Rosa Molinar, rosa.molinar@asu.edu
(602) 496-0362