{"id":66440,"date":"2026-01-27T19:56:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T22:56:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/887036579"},"modified":"2026-01-27T19:56:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T22:56:18","slug":"evergreen-park-library-pairs-older-patrons-with-high-school-helpers-for-tech-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/01\/27\/evergreen-park-library-pairs-older-patrons-with-high-school-helpers-for-tech-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Evergreen Park Library pairs older patrons with high school helpers for tech support"},"content":{"rendered":"

A recently developed Tech Time Drop-In program at the Evergreen Park Public Library is already a hit with older patrons experiencing nagging problems with their phones, tablets and computers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also popular with the high school students who are helping to solve the issues for anyone who drops in from 1:15 to 3 p.m. Wednesdays at the library, 9400 S Troy Ave.<\/p>\n

Only in its second week, a recent session drew a group of residents with questions ready.<\/p>\n

One issue for patron Jayshree Soparawala, the first question involved trouble unlocking her iPhone quickly to access text messages.<\/p>\n

That was a cinch for Israel Fagbulu, a senior at Evergreen Park Community High School.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can remove the touch ID, and then just open,\u201d he explained. \u201cYou tap and hold on the app. Then you just have to tap on the message.\u201d<\/p>\n

The advice was refreshing for some of the less-tech savvy patrons who have sometimes experienced impatience when asking younger people such questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been waiting for this type of opportunity, so we can learn,\u201d said Soparawala, who also asked for help translating links and messages from her native Hindi to English, using her GPS monitor and accessing her financial information on the phone.<\/p>\n

Across the room, Emilio Gonzalez, also a senior at EPCHS, was busy helping Ursula Slotkus figure out why her phone\u2019s battery was losing juice so quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m technology challenged,\u201d Slotkus said.<\/p>\n

\"Evergreen
Evergreen Park Community High School student Emilio Gonzalez helps library patron Ursula Slotkus with a question about her phone during a drop-in Tech Help program Wednesday, Jan. 21 at the Evergreen Park Public Library. (Janice Neumann\/Daily Southtown)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gonzalez had a few tips.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually a big reason is either apps running in the background or a lot of things open,\u201d he said. \u201cA good thing you can do is shut down your phone for five minutes and turn it back on because it reboots everything. Sometimes phones get the hiccups.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evergreen Park students Fagbulu, Gonzalez and Zackary Rosario cited a variety of reasons for attending the weekly sessions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great opportunity and gives us job experience,\u201d said Gonzalez, who plans to go into computer engineering. \u201cI wanted something that wasn\u2019t a class but also gave me the opportunity to help people out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The library already offered a Financial and Digital Literacy program, but technology coordinator Jessica Ramos and other staff members noticed some seniors needed extra help.<\/p>\n

Sometimes even just updating devices would stymie people.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is on the computer but how do you download the manual?\u201d Ramos said. \u201cYou can\u2019t move on until you set the update.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mary Black, the library\u2019s head of Adult Services who helped organize and coordinate the new program with the high school, said there was \u201ca real need\u201d for one-on-one help.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids will get this real-world experience and they\u2019re helping out in the community,\u201d she said, pointing out that younger people have grown up with the technology. \u201cThey\u2019re natives \u2014 we\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Evergreen
Evergreen Park Community High School student Emilio Gonzalez discusses phone apps with library patron Michelle McSwain during a drop-in Tech Help program Wednesday, Jan. 21 at the Evergreen Park Public Library. (Janice Neumann\/Daily Southtown)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Terence Masterson, who teaches business at the high school, helped create the partnership and said his students were excited about helping with tech problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey love having the chance to share their knowledge and technology skills in ways that genuinely help others,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Masterson originally wanted some of his tech-savvy students to help the school\u2019s IT team, but it is busiest early in the day and the students aren\u2019t free until late afternoon. So last year, the students helped out at Central Middle School setting up Chromebooks for pupils and also at Mercy Circle retirement community.<\/p>\n

Then he brought the idea of tech help to Black, who was all in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis could be a nice little tech time with the community,\u201d Masterson said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got some good students who took my computer maintenance class and it gives them a chance to help out in a real world situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re exactly what you\u2019d want \u2014 polite, have the background and knowledge, and are good-hearted,\u201d said Masterson.<\/p>\n

Soparawala said she hopes the program continues beyond May 6, when the sessions end for the school year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you guys are here forever,\u201d said Soparawala. \u201cYou\u2019ll always be seeing me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… phone during a drop-in Tech<\/span> Help program Wednesday, Jan. … Digital Literacy program, but technology<\/span> coordinator Jessica Ramos and other … McSwain during a drop-in Tech<\/span> Help program Wednesday, Jan. … were excited about helping with tech<\/span> problems. \u00e2\u0080\u009cThey love having …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66440\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}