A Mother’s Determination

At last month’s adult tech class, a woman came in hoping to learn how to use a translation app. As we started, we quickly realized there were more hurdles than expected. We reset her forgotten password, which led to an overflowing inbox full of unread emails. We cleaned up her email, unsubscribed from unwanted senders, and then moved on to deleting old messages from her messaging app. Navigating this felt like taking one step forward and two steps back, but we persevered. As we worked, she expressed her frustrations about relying on her daughter for communication support, often waking her at night, which she hoped to end. A mother’s determination to learn and alleviate her daughter's burden is a common narrative I encounter.

-Ester Ocampo