Google makes its way to Pueblo high schools to teach students the importance of tech skills

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Team members from Google visited Pueblo high school students to teach various computer science, engineering, and other internet-related classes during Computer Science Education Week, also known as the Hour of Code.

According to District 60, this visit was all thanks to a Pueblo graduate.

According to D60, the Googlers visited all high schools. They also had panel discussions to answer questions from students.

D60 officials said for the last ten years, they have been implementing computer science activities both inside and outside the classroom with various activities to get students involved with coding and other internet-related fields.

Officials said these classes are important because many modern jobs require at least some knowledge of technology and computer science.

The Google team delivered around 38 different sessions with approximately 700 students.

One Pueblo graduate, Christian Michael, contacted the district directly to make sure this event happened.

"It was important for me to demonstrate to Google leadership that we need to make sure that we're showing up for students, not only students and major metropolitan areas but also areas like Pueblo," said Micheal.

Micheal, raised in Pueblo, is now a Senior Program Manager at Google. He graduated from South High School and told KRDO he wants to give back to the community he was raised in.

"I grew up in a single-mother family. There were five of us kids. We didn't have much. I was lucky enough to go on to college, actually going to get my master's degree, then lucky enough now to work at Google. I feel like I have to, you know, pay it forward, pay it back to a community that supported me all through my career path," explained Micheal.

He said it's important for high schoolers to know the different options there are in tech.

"I think students don't often realize that. They think that they have to go to some fancy college. They have to get a four-year college degree in computer science. But that isn't necessarily true. So even if a student is working right now, maybe they're at a community college, maybe they're still a high school student, they can still access training that will give them the skill to then go look for jobs," said Micheal.

District 60 students who want to get more involved in computer science-related programs are asked to contact PaulaHerraez@pueblod60.org.