PHOENIX — There's a non-profit group here in Arizona that is putting laptops in the hands of students, and as ABC15's Nick Ciletti found out, they're providing more than just a computer.
Pinal County mom Kimberly Olivas just graduated with her Bachelor's in nursing a few weeks ago. She was all smiles in her graduation photos, but the road to get here wasn't easy with Olivas having to juggle the responsibilities of being a full-time mom and a full-time student.
"It was very hard and it was really stressful," says Olivas.
But it wasn't the labs or the homework or even the hour-long commute to class that were the hardest. Instead, it was something most of us use every single day and take for granted that threatened to sideline her dreams for good.
"My computer gave out a few times," she says. "At such a critical time in my nursing career, it was detrimental at that point, it was make it or break it...I was running out of options."
Or so she thought — what Olivas didn't realize was that her days of having to borrow laptops from her classmates were about to end.
"We have found if we really want to bridge the technology divide, we really have to meet those students and their families where they are financially," explains Brenda Powell, executive director of the non-profit group Laptops 4 Learning.
Since it was founded eight years ago, Laptops 4 Learning, the group has provided nearly 4,000 laptops to students just like Olivas.
"We have seen that ripple effect of how having a laptop helps in so many ways you could never imagine."
Here's how it works: Students can purchase laptops from the organization at a fraction of what they'd cost in stores, or in some cases, like Kimberly's, where there is financial hardship, students can earn scholarships and Laptops 4 Learning will provide the computers at no cost.
For Powell, it's a mission that is deeply personal.
"I grew up in a single-parent household with eight children," says Powell. "And so I know what it's like to not have basic necessities and in this day and age we live in right now, laptops are a basic necessity no matter what you're doing."
So for her final two semesters, Olivas' new laptop would prove to be more than just a study tool.
"It took so much stress off my shoulders," she says. "I know it's going to get really tough. It's not like it is in the movies. But if you surround yourself with the right people, people do want to see you succeed and they are rooting for you. So don't be afraid to ask for help."
Laptops 4 Learning also assists veterans.
If you'd like more information on how you can help or if you'd like to apply to get a laptop, click here.
