From an Unlikely CA Zipcode, A Digital Nest Emerges

Jacob Martinez is a social entrepreneur,
tech educator, keynote speaker and cutting-edge community
collaborator. Martinez believes technology has the potential to
break down socioeconomic barriers and unlock economic growth for
youth and their communities. As the founder and executive
director of Digital NEST (Nurturing Entrepreneurial
Skills with Technology), Martinez turned a vision into reality by
creating a modern, collaborative workspace for local youth to
receive high-tech training.


The opening of the first Digital NEST in 2014 garnered national
attention as a model for bridging the digital divide experienced
by youth living in low-income, rural communities. Today the NEST
continues to expand, with more than 1200 members at two regional
centers; its main location in Watsonville, CA and since April
2017, a Digital NEST pilot in Salinas, CA.


Martinez’s inspiration for Digital NEST is built on more than a
dozen years of experience and research in teaching tech as a way
to overcome economic disparities and achieve equity for Latinos
and girls. His early work focused on promoting careers in STEM
for youth through an award winning after-school program teaching
middle-school girls to create computer games. The program serves
hundreds of students in 15 Santa Cruz County schools.


Martinez has presented his work and research to the National
Science Foundation, to technology companies Google, Mozilla, and
Infosys; to the Computer Science Collaborative Project, the
University of California, and the National Girls Collaborative
Project. Martinez spoke in 2015 at the first White House
Tech Meetup and was named by TechCrunch as
one of 2014’s Top 10 Men in the Country Supporting
Women in Technology.


Martinez has been widely recognized for his work as a
community leader developing innovative approaches to
solving social problems across diverse populations. Martinez
founded the Santa Cruz County Ag-tech Meetup, co-founded the
Watsonville Film festival, is a Community Advisor for Opportunity
Fund and hosts a podcast focused on the intersection of
agriculture and technology.


He is a frequent speaker at technology and educational
conferences and symposia, and has been honored by business,
community, and educational institutions for his innovation
and leadership. He was named the 2015 Santa Cruz County
Entrepreneur of the Year, has provided thought
leadership on the impact of tech and underserved student
populations, and also received a recommendation letter
from former United States Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta.


Martinez graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz
with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,
and received his Master’s in Instructional Science and Technology
from California State University, Monterey Bay.


Links from this episode:


Digital Nest: https://digitalnest.org/


Jacob Martinez: https://digitalnest.org/oldsite/?page_id=2847


Better Schools Won't Fix America, Nick Hanauer, Atlantic Monthly:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/07/education-isnt-enough/590611/


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