ClosingTheDivide and TechExchange Partnership

San José, CA — High school students cofounded the nonprofit Closing the Divide, have teamed up with Oakland-based nonprofit Tech Exchange to narrow the digital divide for students across the San José Bay Area.

What started as an Evergreen Valley High School class assignment by two eleventh grade STEM students has grown into a nonprofit, Closing the Divide. “After learning about the often undercovered issue of the digital divide in my computer science principles class, I began to realize the inequity in terms of access to technology even in high tech areas, such as Silicon Valley,'' says Anish Thalamati. The two boys “set up initiatives to raise money for low-income households in an attempt to decrease the digital divide.”

The youth took coding classes through Evergreen Valley College in San José. “Our passion for coding was fostered by our surrounding environment's reliance on technology and specifically software development,” says the CTD team. Closing the Divide is offering free coding classes June 19 - July 17, 2021 to the community this summer. Classes are offered as a 4 week long Python Bootcamp with 2-hour classes every Saturday for anyone regardless of area of residence.

“Both my friend Ankit and I share this passion. By founding this organization, we hope to help others gain access to the technology and skills to pursue the same passion we have for computer science,” says Thalamati. In response, Closing the Divide joined forces with Tech Exchange who is donating 10 high-end refurbished devices to the organization to distribute to their students in need.

To learn more about Tech Exchange and Closing the Divide, visit www.techexhange.org, or https://closingthedivide.foundation/