Life lessons and computer training meet in Fresno program for young and old | Opinion
A spring-green curl of butter lettuce was topped by a deep red slice of heirloom tomato. Leaning against the tomato were four precisely cut one-inch squares of rosy pink cantaloupe, which in turn supported one slice of white radish with a faint red rim, all accented by a delicate sprinkling of olive oil.
The salad, obviously a labor of love, was made by Robert Ortiz III, executive chef at the California Armenian Home. It was followed by a delicious lunch that we enjoyed as guests invited to observe and join in a new program at the facility.
The program is called Seniors helping Seniors. It represents a partnership between the Fresno Unified School District and the Armenian Home to help residents avoid computer scams, while giving students opportunities to become mentors with life-experienced adults The students are studying cybersecurity in a class led by teacher Peter Fortuna at Cambridge High School.
Cambridge has approximately 500 students who are at least 30 credits behind in order to graduate. In August the class, and in fact all of Cambridge High, will leave its home on Chestnut Avenue and move to the Farber Educational Campus on Tenth and Ventura in Fresno. My husband Murray and I are humbled to have the campus bear our name, and were excited to be invited to see this innovative program. It represents one of the goals of the Farber Campus: to form partnerships between the school, its students and the community while giving students opportunities for service learning. A multitude of local nonprofits have already signed on to be part of this effort once the school opens in August.
Opinion
After lunch in the Armenian Home’s elegant Fig Room, we went upstairs to a large open area where residents interested in learning more about computer security were already waiting. The students had been welcomed by a pizza lunch and were eager to begin their service learning project. Fortuna talked to the crowd of residents who listened intently and asked questions about developing secure passwords.
The residents were divided into three groups, with each group led by four students who went into detail about how to “pepper” your passwords to make them stronger. With one student’s help I developed a password that would take 35 centuries to be hacked, which seemed to be plenty of time. It was exciting to see how the addition of a bracket or a space could add significant strength to what seemed like an easy password.
The students were both friendly and serious. “Friendly” was demonstrated by introducing themselves, looking directly at each resident as they talked, and smiling enthusiastically. “Serious” was demonstrated by their frequent use of advanced vocabulary such as “encryption” and other terms that were required to be explained to some of us with little computer background.
Except for one junior, the students were all seniors who are graduating this year, having made up their missing credits with the school’s support. One of them was serious in his plan to go to a welding school, a field which is paying good salaries because of the scarcity of capable technicians. Two others were going into the military. One was hoping to become a Navy SEAL, then a fighter pilot. Another just wanted to join the military to get his education paid for and then leave for other opportunities. A fourth was planning on attending Fresno City College for two years, then transferring to Fresno State to complete his dream of becoming an electrical engineer.
A surprise ending to the afternoon was finding that one of the residents had celebrated his 100th birthday in January, although he easily could have passed for someone in his 80s. While he required the use of an electric wheelchair, mentally he was proficient and told us about his experiences in World War II. Because he was underage, his mother had to sign for him to enlist. He served as a pilot in the Pacific. He joined us at a generous buffet of Armenian desserts available for Seniors Helping Seniors, who had spent an interesting afternoon together.
Francine M. Farber of Fresno is a retired educator who is a longtime volunteer with various community organizations. Contact: farberfrannola@gmail.com.
