Greene bridges digital divide

Senior Jordan Greene reacts to the news of becoming Miss Broward County’s Outstanding Teen 2020. Greene spent months preparing for the competition.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JORDAN GREENE

GRAPHIC BY EDUARDO ANDRADE

Greene’s company provides resources for those who have limited access to technology.

Greene bridges digital divide

By Alisha Durosier, Opinion Editor

Senior Jordan Greene has expanded an eighth-grade Girl Scout project into a nonprofit company that seeks to reduce the gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not.

Greene’s company, Conquering the Digital Divide (CTDD), developed from Hard Drives for Humanity, a project which earned her a Girl Scouts Silver Award.

“I could only imagine how difficult school would be if I didn’t have the internet or a computer,” Greene said.

Greene, who has participated in Girl Scouts since kindergarten, was able to raise money to fund the giveaway of three laptops.

“That was like the coolest thing ever,” Greene said.

Conquering the Digital Divide was Greene’s effort to bridge her preexisting passion for technology with her developing interest in serving those who don’t have or don’t know how to use technology. In order to cater to her target audience, Greene made a plan last year to teach technological literacy classes.

In February, Greene was able to teach her first class at Habitat for Humanity. Greene received an overall positive response, attendees saying that they learned a lot and that they would come back for another class.

“At this point it wasn’t a company it was a project,” Greene said.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Greene then faced a dilemma.

“I was kind of stuck for a little bit, because I didn’t know how to carry on my project,” Greene said. “It was like I definitely had to get this done. I just didn’t know how to.”

Greene’s mother suggested incorporating Conquering the Digital Divide and applying for 501(c)(3) status, making Greene’s project into a company.

“So I started from there and it took forever,” Greene said.

With coronavirus restrictions strictly prohibiting physical meetings, Greene decided to record her presentations. After recording the first three presentations in English, she came to a realization.

“I was like, wait a second, we can reach a bigger audience,” Greene said.

With the assistance of some of her bilingual friends, Greene’s videos were translated into Spanish, Portuguese and Creole.

Of all her accomplishments, Greene is the most proud of her company.

“My company is something that I’ve nurtured, like it’s my baby,” she said. “There is not a day that goes by where I don’t work on something for Conquering The Digital Divide,” Greene said. “CTDD involves the hard work of so many other people. I am really thankful and appreciative for all the work that they do.”

Pageant win built Greene’s grit

By Alisha Durosier, Opinion Editor

Senior Jordan Greene credited her victory in the Miss Broward County pageant for helping her build the confidence necessary to deal with the ups and downs of starting a business.

“It was very foreign to me,” Greene said. “I went into pageantry with this really biased mindset, that’s its all lipstick and hairspray and catfights and it’s really not.”

Miss Broward County is a scholarship competition in the form of a pageant. Greene won the title of Miss Broward County’s Outstanding Teen 2020.

“The moment they said my name I kind of screamed,” Greene said. “I didn’t think I could do it, I didn’t think I had the ability to adapt to this new situation.”

Greene’s victory served as a life defining moment for her.

“If I could do this thing that is completely out of my universe and out of everything that I know, then I can commit to anything else that I really want to do,” Greene said. “It was one of my favorite experiences, and I actually think it kind of shaped who I am today, because it gave me the confidence to walk into a room and be like, ‘Oh, yes, I can do this.’”

Greene is aware of the endless opportunities her future holds.

“I’m one of those people who prepares a lot for the future but doesn’t really have a clear goal,” Greene said. “I have so many ideas of where I want to be in the future, it’s kind of unreal. I know wherever I go to college, I’ll do what makes me happy.”

Her contrasting list of career paths include starting a tech startup, being a model, research, becoming Miss America and being a pioneer in quantum physics.

“I’m very excited to see what the future holds, I have proven to myself that I could do whatever I set my mind to,” Greene said. “I feel like the cool girl I wanted to be in the fifth grade.”