HARLINGEN — Brandi Cantu stood in front of a life-size tablet in the school cafeteria.
The high school senior was using it to visit interesting Texas colleges and universities with the swipe of her fingertip.
“I think it’s amazing because it offers college and career pathway information,” Brandi said about the kiosk.
She was demonstrating to Superintendent Art Cavazos and his administrative staff what the black monolith that looks like a prop out of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey can do.
In the movie, nothing happened when the astronaut touched the towering block on the moon.
That is not the case in Harlingen. This monolith is not just a block, it’s digital and smart.
“I think anything that is digital gets students’ attention,” Cavazos said. “This is one additional avenue which we are making information accessible to students here in the high schools.”
High school students in Harlingen are now receiving valuable interactive information designed to provide them college tours of and information about colleges, financial aid, scholarships and careers.
All from the seven-foot digital kiosk named “Tony’s K.”
“It’s going to be a great addition to our college and career readiness initiative,” Cavazos said. “It gives the students an opportunity to seamlessly go through this information and really learn more about opportunities that are out there.”
All the information and kiosks are free to the schools and the students. The information is also available on a mobile application students can download.
“The students will be able to bring information to mom and dad to help their education path or find social services they may need,” said Tony Alvarez, Founder of “Tony’s K” – Educational Kiosks.
The “Tony’s K” is an evolutionary technological bulletin board offering students relevant information to them.
Early this year, Alvarez met with Cavazos and pitched him the idea of placing the kiosks in each of the districts high schools.
There are now identical interactive touch-screen kiosks in each of the five district high schools for students to access.
Just looking at the life-size tablet immediately sparks students’ curiosity.
The kiosk has rollover advertisements, links to colleges and school district information.
Alvarez said a percentage of the kiosks’ local and national advertising will be paid to the school district and scholarships to graduating students will be handed out.
This new exciting technology addition is expected to help the high school students continue their education and is a first in the country created for the Rio Grande Valley high school students.
Harlingen CISD is the first district to bring these computer kiosks with educational information to the Valley for the students to access.
“I have played with it a few times and it is really good information,” said Imelda Munivez, Harlingen High School principal.
Digital kiosks features:
• College tours
• Links to financial aid
• Scholarships
• Careers
• Social services
WHICH HARLINGEN SCHOOLS HAVE THE KIOSK?
• Harlingen High School
• Harlingen South
• Early College
• Dr. Cano Freshman Academy
• Harlingen School of Health Professionals
Tony Alvarez is an award-winning original owner/operator franchisee of both Little Caesars Pizza and Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar Restaurants in the Rio Grande Valley. He is an award-winning business executive and social entrepreneur who also developed franchise relationships for On The Border Mexican Café and Burger King. In 1997, he was named the Hispanic Chamber small business person of the year in San Antonio.
For more than 30 years, Alvarez has had a passion for growing companies and is a leader in the entrepreneurial community dedicated to accessing capital, success in philanthropic/business ventures, government endeavors and building a company from a single restaurant into a multi-unit company.
Want a kiosk in your school district?
Contact Maribel De La Fuente Alvarez
956-903-4231
