Solana Beach teenager teaches computer skills class to local moms’ group

For the past year, Peter Stapleton, a Solana Beach 17-year-old, has been leading a group of local women in learning computers, teaching the valuable skills entirely in Spanish. The Cathedral Catholic High School junior teaches the class at St. James Catholic Church as part of Solana Beach’s Pláticas de Mejorar (Self-Improvement Conversations), a parent support group for Spanish-speaking women in the La Colonia De Eden Gardens community.

“I started volunteering from a very young age so I have always been helping out around the community,” said Peter.  Since he was 10 years old, he has volunteered with the Sockers Champions League, a special needs soccer program run by Cardiff Soccer League in partnership with US Youth Soccer’s TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer).  While he is involved in a few other programs, the computer classes are his focus right now.

“Seeing change within your own community is very powerful,” he said. “Being able to push the change for these things to happen and be able to see it is really what inspires me.”

His mother Monica, a bilingual marriage and family therapist, has run the Pláticas de Mejorar program since 2018. With a grant from the city of Solana Beach, the group has met weekly to discuss topics such as mental health, family issues and the immigrant experience. Over the years, Monica has expanded the learning opportunities to include yoga, art and swimming lessons.

Peter watched how successful the program became and last year had his own idea on how he could share his gifts with others. He has strong computer skills, with experience in coding and software.

“It really just came from an understanding of how computer skills would really elevate job opportunities and what members of the group could do,” Peter said. While kids his age may take computer skills for granted as it has always been a part of their lives, for others, it’s not as easy to learn. “Computer skills are a necessity in today’s world.”

Funds were raised to purchase 25 computers, set up in a makeshift computer lab at St. James. The class meets once a week and Peter prepares the lessons, which include homework for them to practice throughout the week. They’ve covered basic typing, how to make slideshow presentations, and more advanced lessons in coding and Excel spreadsheets.

The first-time teenage teacher was a little nervous at first, but the members made the job easy.

“The members are really sweet people and hardworking people and people willing to dedicate their time to better themselves and the future for their kids,” Peter said. “It’s just a really great community and great group of people.”

He hopes to continue the program as long as he can, and to make as powerful an impact as he can as long as the women are willing to carve the time out of their busy lives for self-improvement. While he has enjoyed teaching, he doesn’t know yet for sure if that is his future career path, all he knows is that he wants to help people.

“I am so proud of Peter for dedicating his time to such an important project,” commented his mom Monica. “He was really the driving force behind it all. I think at the end of the day he is benefitting much more by making such a positive difference in our neighbors’ lives. I hope this inspires him to continue giving back in his life.”