Featured Story

Sal Murillo is a Latino/Native American and the first in his family to
   have graduated from college. Having worked at IBM Tucson for the
     past six years, he is also more than willing to share his good fortune
        with people in need in his community.

          "I am grateful to those
            individuals who inspired
             me to drive to succeed
              throughout my life, and I
              try to honor them with the
             contributions I make to our
             global community. I am
            proud to be part of a
          corporation that supports
          the same core values I
        believe in," said Murillo.

Photo Murillo, Shannon, Anna, Gee, Hale, Day

                               Murillo thrives on local volunteer
                       activities in his hometown and has
         come to epitomize an On Demand Community
volunteer leader. He has coordinated an IBM K-12 Matching Technology Grant with IBM colleagues,

Photo caption: Sal Murillo (third from left) has made a significant impact in the Tucson Native American community through his volunteer work and use of On Demand Community tools. Also pictured are (left to right) Kay Shannon of the San Xavier Mission School, IBMers Josie Anna, Jolynn Gee, Jonathan Hale, and IBM retiree Herb Day.

coordinated and helped implement the first MentorPlace program on a Native American reservation, and introduced TryScience solution activities to schools. He has also participated in National Engineers Week, La Familia Technology Week and Black Family Technology Awareness Week, obtained a Community Grant for the school, and worked in the IBM Global Workforce Diversity Multicultural People and Technology initiative on another reservation.

A school's first technology center

Through Murillo's leadership, and with the help and generosity of several IBM employee and retiree colleagues, the San Xavier Mission School has been able to create its first-ever technology center with the donation of IBM technology worth almost $20,000 through the K-12 Matching Grants program. This was just the beginning of Murillo's plans for the school, located on the San Xavier Reservation just outside of Southwest Tucson and a district of the Tohono O' odham Nation.

With the equipment installated, San Xavier was ready for participation in IBM's online mentoring program, MentorPlace. And Murillo was delighted, and proud, to coordinate and implement the first MentorPlace program on a Native American reservation. There are almost 175 children attending San Xavier's K-8 classes, and the fruits of Murillo's labors are evident immediately.

Photo and caption: IBM Tucson volunteers preparing for the day at Tohono O' odham Community College computer lab.

"This first-time exposure to technology for these young students, as well as the opportunity to have a Native American mentor and role model, is an enormous benefit for them," he said. "Unfortunately, living on the reservation, they just do not have the technology access and exposure that are prerequisites to success today. In the long-term, this emphasis on science and technology will positively influence their lives, and perhaps their children's lives as well."

Murillo just completed his current six-month MentorPlace assignment with sixth-grade students from the San Xavier Mission School, and he will

be with them through their completion of eighth grade. This long-term commitment and support, he believes, creates the familiarity and trust which are integral to optimal success.

During the course of his e-mentoring activities, he has highlighted for his students the tremendous communications capabilities of the MentorPlace technologies. His students have quickly come to appreciate the power and significance of information access. They also benefit greatly from their interaction with an exemplary Native American role model, IBM professional, volunteer and community leader.

"My parents come from tribes that are located in Southern Arizona and the Sonoran region of

Northern Mexico. I have a real attachment to this land," he said.

Murillo has also incorporated TryScience presentations into his interactions with his students and the school, as well as into his National Engineers Week activities. "The ODC tools provide great opportunities to positively impact the lives of young students in need. They are just great assets to have available for employees and retirees, to readily deploy."

As he continues his endeavors to bridge the digital divide that exists for these children, his only request is for additional tools. "I am extremely passionate about community outreach and global worfkforce diversity. On Demand Community tools are helping me to act on that passion."

Photo and caption: The San Xavier Mission has served the local Native American population for more than 300 years old and is one of this region's outstanding tourist attractions.

Murillo would like to thank the following IBM employees for their support in Tucson's IBM MentorPlace and Multicultural Technology in People (MPIT) volunteer efforts: Jolynn Gee, Jonathan Hale, Dominic Pruitt, Michele Morningstar, and Marianette McKensley.