Robert Hitchcock
Every Friday during the academic year, something special happens about one mile from Chapman University’s Orange campus. A group of Chapman students walk into the Orange Senior Center, take a seat next to a senior citizen with their smartphone, tablet or laptop, and start helping.
What began in the fall of 2017 as a small community service project created by student Jacob Pace ’20 has grown into an eight-year tradition. Today, members of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity continue the weekly commitment, offering one-on-one tech tutoring to seniors navigating an increasingly complex digital world.
But as both students and seniors will tell you, it’s about much more than Wi-Fi passwords and app downloads.
More Than Just Tech Help
Kamy Merritt, Director of Operations & Programming at the Orange Senior Center, has watched the program evolve over the years. Each week, seniors arrive with different needs: setting up email, downloading files, renewing DMV registrations, ordering groceries, or accessing medical portals.
“Living in a technology-driven society, even going to the doctor and accessing medical records requires basic skills and setup,” Merritt said. “This allows them to do many things on their own. It gives them that freedom.”
What started as basic troubleshooting has developed into something deeper over the years.
“It’s really turned into not just a class of learning,” she said. “It’s kind of turned into an interesting symbiotic, almost grandparent–grandchild relationship that we didn’t even expect.”
Building Community – One Conversation at a Time
For senior psychology major Lyle Diaz, who helps coordinate the effort for Beta Theta Pi, the experience has become a defining part of his Chapman journey.
“We’ve been coming down here every Friday at 1 p.m. for years now,” Diaz said. “Just helping out — that’s what we call it. Tech tutoring.”
But he quickly adds that the impact goes beyond solving device issues.
“I think the biggest thing it’s done for me is just given me a refresh every week,” he said. “You get caught up in school and work and everything else. To come here for an hour and help someone right in front of you and see how happy it makes them — it’s kind of a feeling you get addicted to.”
The relationships built over time are genuine. Students are greeted with questions about classes, vacations and family. Seniors share stories, advice and encouragement.
“We’ve really built a community in here,” Diaz said. “It’s full of a lot of love.”
He recalled being invited to help one couple set up their desktop at home.
“They made me dinner and packed food for my roommates,” he said with a laugh. “They really do fulfill that emptiness when you start to miss home.”
A Two-Way Street
Sophomore business marketing major Magnus Burgess says the weekly visits complete his week.
“Every Friday I look forward to it,” Burgess said. “School’s great, having friends is great, but doing this really completes my week. Helping people has always been my reason for feeling good.”
The conversations often drift beyond screen settings and verification codes to chess games, movies and memories from decades past.
“Sometimes people come just to chat,” Burgess said. “They might have a little problem, but it’s really just a chat. And honestly, I look forward to those a lot too.”
For the seniors, the connection is just as meaningful.
“I always depend on them if I have questions,” said Lelita Oliveros of Orange. “They’re very helpful, very patient and respectful.”
Leticia Rubio said the students provide support that even family members sometimes can’t.
“As seniors, we don’t have anybody,” Rubio said. “Yes, we have children, but they can’t always help us. This is great because we need that little help. It’s a tech world now.”
She also believes the students gain something important in return.
“It’s a two-way street,” Rubio said. “I think they can maybe open up and ask a question they wouldn’t ask their friends. We can give them great advice — we’ve been through it.”
Wendy Watkins agreed. “This is very important,” she said. “Technology is life.”
A Tradition of Service
What makes the program especially meaningful, Merritt says, is its consistency. The students show up every Friday during the academic year — even during busy times.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a holiday,” Merritt said. “They make the time. We really appreciate the love and care that they have for our seniors.”
For Diaz, what started as a fraternity service opportunity has become something far more personal.
“This doesn’t even feel like community service,” he said. “It’s just like coming back to another part of my week. It’s really refreshing.”
Eight years after it began, the tech tutoring program continues to bridge generations — one app, one conversation and one Friday afternoon at a time.
