Interview is translated from Spanish 

Ten-year-old Miguel Alvarez is putting his new digital literacy skills to an unexpected use: writing stories about his need for a brother. 

“It is boring only having sisters,” Miguel, who has four sisters, explained. 

Miguel and his mother Maria Alvarez, 38, teamed up to take bilingual digital literacy classes through the University of Houston-Downtown's (UHD) e-library program. NTIA awarded UHD more than $2.4 million dollars from the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program to support literacy awareness and connectivity among the local Hispanic community. UHD partners with elementary schools in the surrounding area so families like the Alvarez can improve their technology and literacy skills in both English and Spanish.  

Miguel excels in math and science, but Maria noticed his reading skills were falling behind. When she learned about the bilingual e-library program during a back-to-school night, she decided to enroll them both. 

“I’m helping my son so that he has a successful future, but I’m also helping myself because I have access to these stories,” Maria said. “I’m very interested in learning English, and the program helps me to recognize words in English and become fluent.” 

Thanks to the program, Maria has learned PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. She is also collaborating with Miguel on a book about his dream: having a brother and being a math teacher. 

Miguel says he enjoys the program because it allows him to read more books and gives him more ideas for stories. He even has several favorite books. 

Why Internet for All Matters to Me 

“I am learning along with my son, and the teachers, who are motivating us and teaching. I wish there were more programs like this to continue helping those like us and other parents and children as well.” --Maria Alvarez, 38, Houston, TX 

Stay tuned for more ConnectingUS stories from the University of Houston-Downtown.