Wojcicki Family Donates Computer Lab to Akhpradzor

Stanford University Professor Stanley Wojcicki and Palo Alto High School Journalism teacher Esther Wojcicki have donated $5,000 for the completion of the computer lab in Akhpradzor school.

"It is important for all people, rural and urban,  to have access to the world's information," Mrs. Wojcicki said. "It will enrich their lives and help them communicate with the world.  It is a way for them to share their lives and know what others are doing."

Mrs. Wojcicki decided to contribute to the Hidden Road Initiative after her former student, Nanor Balabanian, informed her about the impact that Palo Alto High School's Journalism program had on her project. Balabanian attended Palo Alto High School where she wrote under Wojcicki's national award winning student newspaper program, The Campanile. Today, Wojcicki runs one of the nation's largest high school journalism programs.

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Both Balabanian and Wojcicki appreciate the integration of Internet in classrooms and educational institutions. As an educational consultant at Google, Wojcicki designed the Google Teacher Outreach Program and the Google Teacher Academy. She has had vast experience in merging technology into the classroom and has extensively assisted non-profit organizations by enhancing their educational capabilities.

"Internet education helps people learn how to use the Internet effectively," Wojcicki said. "It is critical for people to have this information if they want to learn to use the Internet to its fullest."

Whether serving as vice chair of the Creative Commons board of directors, or as the consultant of the US Department of Education, Wojcicki transforms the spread of technology in the educational field, both locally and internationally. She supports the Hidden Road Initiative's mission and looks forward to witness its impact on the isolated village of Akhpradzor, Armenia.

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