High school students teach seniors about technology during coronavirus

Localish logo
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Students teach seniors about technology during coronavirus
These high schoolers are volunteering to tutor senior citizens about tech!Sisters Anchal and Anushka Bhaskar are among a group of students volunteering to tutor senior citizens about technology.

The Technology Tutor program at the Sea Country Senior and Community Center in Laguna Niguel, CA is a way for younger generations to teach senior citizens about today's technology.

Anushka Bhaskar, now a student at Harvard, was one of the high school tutors in that first inaugural group. Now her younger sister, Anchal Bhaskar, a senior at Aliso Niguel High School, runs the program and has expanded it to include even more high schools.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the senior center was forced to close its doors, and the Tech Tutor program was moved online via video calls, forcing the seniors to practice what they had learned.

"It was a little stressful when we first started," said Anchal. "But it's working perfectly. Everyone knows what they're doing. I've heard really good things from the seniors."

"It's hard to find somebody who cares that much. They were great, all of them," said Donna Moinfar, a senior involved in the program.

Despite the pandemic, the program continues to be a success as seniors are eager to learn and connect with the younger generation.

"As someone who grew up with my grandparents living in India," said Anushka. "It's really taught me the value of this intergenerational bond.... But it's also taught me you can find family in community."