Instructor Spotlight: Daniel Cruz, Dallas-based instructor with EveryoneOn’s Best Buy program

Interview conducted by Jessica Scadron, Vice President of Strategic Communications, EveryoneOn

Daniel Cruz, digital skills instructor with EveryoneOn’s Best Buy program.

How did you get into digital equity and inclusion work?

In 2015 here in Dallas, I learned about EveryoneOn while I was working at Education is Freedom - a college access program. Our primary goal was to help kids get to college. But they needed internet access to complete applications. EveryoneOn provided hotspots so students could get online. I loved the idea that access could be so simple.

Then earlier this year, I saw an EveryoneOn job post for a digital skills instructor with their program with Best Buy to teach kids high-tech skills. I knew I wanted to go back to nonprofit work and help the community. I wanted the position badly so I jumped on the application and got the job. 

Who and what did you teach?

I taught middle and some high schoolers in an underrepresented area of Dallas for 12 weeks. We started with a curriculum on digital skills and creating content, but for various reasons, we shifted to teaching tech infrastructure and how the internet works. We set up a lab with routers, access points, and desktops to make it hands-on so students could explore the mechanics of a computer.

Why did you become a digital skills instructor?

Growing up in a low-income area of South Dallas and faced challenges with the education system. I was a first generation student. My parents supported education, but didn’t have the experience to guide me through the system. So I did what I loved and studied science, but I had to figure everything out on my own. I would’ve benefited from having mentorship - someone to teach me how to make good decisions for myself. 

Looking back, I would’ve studied tech instead because there are endless opportunities.

“ I want to provide guidance to kids who might not have it - to teach them that they can do tech, the sky is the limit. ”

Why did you choose to be an instructor with EveryoneOn?

The mission! I knew EveryoneOn from my previous job, so there was trust. I didn’t know there was a specific program to give back through training because I only knew about the hotspots and wifi, but then came across the opportunity to teach and enable kids.

What keeps you motivated?

I’m currently teaching digital skills to adults through EveryoneOn. If there's another Best Buy program, count me in. The chance to make a difference in kids’ lives keeps me going.

“Hearing students like one in my class say things that show their hunger for technology, “Tech is not the future, it’s the now,” makes me want to reach more students to cultivate that enthusiasm and knowledge.”

Anything you want to add?

It's about thinking outside the box. Creating videos can make you stand out when applying for jobs or college. I want to help kids think differently about how they put themselves up for opportunities, and let them know they can be and do anything they set their minds to.