For these three high schoolers, a typical afternoon for them is spent fine-tuning their custom-built kiosk at their local Best Buy Teen Tech Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. After two years of planning, teamwork and dedication, their invention is now a reality.
Angel, Michael and Alex are members of the Best Buy Teen Tech Center® at Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES,) where they’ve devoted countless after-school hours exploring all kinds of technology in areas like computer coding, photography, 3D printing and more. It didn’t take long for them to learn that they could actually use these skills to make a positive impact in their community.
In 2023, they partnered with the CLUES “Canasta” food shelf to identify any obstacles affecting their food distribution process. Through staff and client interviews, they decided to design and build a digital kiosk and electronic card scanning interface to improve the overall efficiency of food distribution. With the new system installed, clients wouldn’t have to wait in line as long and have better access to the food.
“They [CLUES] had a lot on their plate, and I think they had three employees that went down to two, and they had to serve food for over 300 people a week,” says Michael. “With overcrowding and people waiting in the cold, we wanted to take a lot of that burden off their plate.”
It was through the Best Buy Teen Tech Center’s Career Pathways program that Angel, Michael and Alex worked with mentors and CLUES to build the system using the tech they were surrounded by at the Teen Tech Center. Since the Best Buy Foundation launched the program in 2012, a network of nine Best Buy Teen Tech Centers is available to young people in the Twin Cities. Through the Teen Tech Center program, the Foundation is on a mission to build brighter futures for young people through economic mobility by offering opportunities to grow critical tech skills and knowledge for educational and career success.
On the path to success
Access to the center’s resources has been instrumental in preparing each group member with a unique set of skills to bring the project to life. Using the Teen Tech Center’s technology, Angel took on the task of coding and using the 3D printer to design the outer casing of the two-foot kiosk, which holds the hardware and custom-built software. After creating multiple prototypes using different kinds of plastic with various strengths and melting points, the group decided to design the kiosk to be sustainable using biodegradable plastic.
Michael fine-tuned the coding used by the software to ensure the system continues to run properly and Alex designed the user interface that will be seen by anyone using both the card and scanning machine. Their hard work and problem solving are key to overcoming the challenges that come with a complex project like theirs — and achieving success as a team.
“It’s a really cool experience being able to come into the center and to use their resources to make cool stuff like that because it’s something I’ve always liked to do,” says Angel.
Since the project began two years ago, the three have developed a strong foundation of skills they’ve gained through the Best Buy Teen Tech Center and Career Pathways program, which are both aimed at teaching young people skills they can apply to their future career aspirations. Young people participating in the Career Pathways program have even more opportunities to explore STEM careers and advance important career skills that set them up to thrive in the tech-reliant jobs of the future.
For Alex, looking back on his favorite part about working with Angel and Michael on the kiosk is, “Seeing how far we’ve come.” And as for these Teen Tech Center members, all three see themselves pursuing an education in areas like engineering and visual arts.
Whether through this achievement or the technical training they’ve received through the Best Buy Teen Tech Center program, it’s only just the beginning for these three.
Learn more about Best Buy Teen Tech Centers, a program of the Best Buy Foundation that supports its mission to prepare young people for the tech-reliant careers of the future.