Story by Rachel Gittleman
Iris is hungry to learn. She has a passion for technology, learning, and, like other 13-year-old girls, Hello Kitty. Born and raised in Pilsen, she graduated from Orozco Academy this June, and is on her way to Cristo Rey High School in the Fall. She is a vibrant young lady who has both a knack and a love of technology—whether it’s making music on GarageBand, creating videos about Pilsen, editing photos, or the like.
As a student at Orozco, Iris had access to Elev8’s afterschool programs, which are offered on a yearly basis in a variety of subjects, including Irish Dance, Yearbook, and Gardening. Iris is attracted to any class involving technology, all of which are taught by Orozco’s Technology Coordinator, Leonardo Guzman. She took advantage of all of these classes during her time at Orozco, spending four afternoons a week at school, taking seven afterschool classes in all. Iris’ love of writing and technology led her to Multimedia Journalism, taught by Mr. Guzman and Helene Achanzar, TRP’s Elev8 Coordinator, over the past school year.
“I thought it would be cool involving writing with electronics,” Iris said. Every Wednesday during the past school year, she would do exactly that alongside 12 other students. The hour-long class, which met in Orozco’s computer lab, focused on journalism, multimedia, and technology.
One of Iris’ favorite lessons was when guest speaker, Adam Jason Cohen, a professional photographer, visited the class. He discussed his career and work, identifying challenges that all photographers face. He described the process of taking hundreds of photos in order to capture the right one. Iris really identified with this idea.
“It was really inspiring,” she said, “because sometimes I feel like I look dumb taking a picture of one thing until I get the right one, but this professional does the same thing.”
Iris was able to use these skills, and others she acquired throughout the course, in her final project: a multimedia project that addressed a problem in Pilsen. She was one of four students to complete a YouTube video within the time frame set by her teachers. Her video, which combines original music, interviews, photos, and writing, addresses the issue of gang violence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko2BIvN1OPk
All of the completed final projects were displayed on the Pilsen Portal, and the creators were awarded prizes, including an iPad and iPods.
Iris had already made a prize-winning video about how Orozco Academy connected to the larger Pilsen neighborhood, utilizing skills she had learned in previous Elev8 classes. This accomplishment, combined with her accomplishments in Multimedia Journalism, prompted her instructors to encourage Iris to apply for a Technology Internship at The Resurrection Project. She successfully applied and joined our team.
Today, Iris is the youngest of six high school interns working with TRP’s Community Engagement and Programs department this summer. Her work includes acquiring information about local Pilsen businesses and adding them to the business directory on the Pilsen Portal. Iris is excited about the experience she had with Elev8 and ready to apply her skills in the future.
“I liked [the class] a lot,” she said. “I’d definitely like to take more classes like it in high school and continue to learn about all things multimedia.”

Return to Nueva Vida August 2013 here.