Loíza children receive technological equipment valued at more than $40,000.00 thanks to the Hispanic Television Station HITN and Northern Illinois University.
(LOÍZA – Wednesday, May 11, 2022) The Mayor of Loíza, Hon. Julia Nazario Fuentes, received today a group of philanthropists at the Jobos de Mediania School from the television station Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN), and from Northern Illinois University, who came to the Island to formalize a donation of computers for use by the students of the Jobos School (K-5) and iPads for the municipal bilingual school, Alianza Cacica Yuiza. Specifically, the donation consists of 21 iMac computers valued at $25,000.00, and 15 iPads valued at $17,000.00, for a total of $42,000.00.
Dr. Laura Ruth Johnson, from the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment, noted that “at Northern Illinois University we are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Mayor Nazario Fuentes and Escuela Jobos by providing assistance and technological resources that successfully impact the learning needs of students in Loíza. At Northern Illinois University, we value the computer donation as the beginning of building a lasting relationship.”
Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, and was founded on May 22, 1895, by Governor John P. Altgeld as a satellite campus of what is now Illinois State University. Today it is an independent public university of great prestige with more than 14,000 students enrolled.
On the other hand, HITN as an entity has the mission of promoting the educational, cultural, and socio-economic aspirations of Hispanics in the United States, through the development and distribution of authentic and quality content, on television, online, and in the community. HITN was represented at the event by Mike Nieves, its president, and CEO, who reaffirmed the commitment to the education of children in Puerto Rico from the very origin of the organization, “a goal that we have continued and today we reaffirm with the children of the town of Loíza by providing new technology to continue their studies.”
Mayor Nazario Fuentes pointed out that “for us in Loíza, education, culture, and sports are priorities. We greatly appreciate this important contribution from Northern Illinois University and HITN to the future of our children. In the mission of overcoming the digital divide, we will continue to contribute with access to information and communication technologies between groups of all kinds”.
The visitors were also received by the School Commissioner of the Municipality of Loíza, Danaliz Dávila Fuentes, and the Municipal Planner, Yeidy Mar Escobar. The event was broadcast live by the Municipality of Loíza on Facebook, where those present detailed the equipment donation process and highlighted the importance of technology in the educational process at all levels.
(Photo by Diario de Puerto Rico)
