Luis, 9
Occupation: Fourth Grade Student
Oakland Neighborhood: Havenscourt
Personal Background
Luis is nine years old and in fourth grade at Markham Elementary. Luis heard from a friend that there’s a library in Oakland where they help you make a scraper bike! That is so cool. He doesn’t have a bike because his got stolen when he left it in the front yard at his cousin’s house. But he really wants to make a scraper bike after being at recess and seeing a scraper team ride by. He hopes that the bike library place is by his house because his parents both work until seven and can’t drive him. And his grandpa doesn’t want to go to the library because they only speak English there and might discover his citizenship status.
Luis lives in a house near Markham with his parents, 3 younger siblings, and grandfather. Luis and his parents arrived from Mexico when Luis was 1 year old, and his siblings were born in Oakland. Luis learned English at Markham and translates for his parents and grandfather, who only speak Spanish. As soon as he gets done with his school on Zoom, he is allowed to play the Playstation. His favorite game is Fortnite. He loves PE and art classes the most, but will hurry to get his classwork done before other students so he can use the computer for games. The nice thing about having such a big family is that Luis is never alone. Every weekend family and friends gather together.
The first time Luis ever went to a library was on a field trip with his first grade class. He got a library card that day and checked out a Spiderman graphic novel. He thinks his little brother lost it and so hasn’t been back to the library ever since… until his grandfather made him walk to 81st Avenue to get free meals for the family during COVID. He was nervous.
Motivators
Luis likes making people happy. He’s a people-pleaser and will sometimes cover up things he wishes weren’t true! He loves video games and computer games and will do extra school work or chores for more time with those.
Luis loves his family and spending time with them. He wants to fit in with the kids at Markham, many of whom ride bikes around the neighborhood together and build jumps.
Life Stressors
The neighborhood Luis lives in has a high rate of violent crime, and he often hears gunshots or other scary sounds or stories of fights. The kids at school tell stories that make him nervous about getting hurt. He feels safe at home, but uneasy everywhere else. It’s hard to translate for the adults in his life - what if he gets something wrong? And sometimes he translates wrong on purpose to hide a bad grade - what if they find out?
As the oldest kid in a Hispanic family, Luis is given a lot of responsibility. He helps care for his younger siblings and helps his grandfather, who has some difficulty standing and walking.
Computer Skills
Luis is good at using the computer and not afraid to try new things. He recognizes icons on a desktop and can open them, but can’t search a computer for an application.
Internet Knowledge
Luis can open a browser and knows he can type a search query into the address bar (though he doesn’t know any of those words/phrases). He can use links, navigate among pages, and use the back button.
Mobile
Luis’s parents have smartphones that he helps them use, so he knows how to operate them, but he doesn’t have his own.
Social Networking
Follows gamers on Twitch, but promised his mom he wouldn’t talk in the chat.
Favorite Media
Likes watching funny videos on YouTube. Likes comics when he finds them, but doesn’t seek out books for fun.