This Florida teen spent his summer refurbishing computers for students in need

Christopher Kilpatrick learned two valuable lessons during his internship this summer: the impact recycling can make and the importance of giving back.

The coronavirus pandemic showed Kilpatrick, 15, how critical it is for students to have computers at home, and he told First Coast News he "almost had an epiphany when I realized not everyone can afford a computer." The Jacksonville, Florida, resident spent the summer interning at a technology company called Urban Mining, in a department that received old computers from businesses. His boss, Johnnie Mcburnie, turned the computers over to Kilpatrick, and told him he could refurbish them for students in need.

"We kept him busy," Mcburnie said. "He was doing four to five machines a day." Kilpatrick was able to completely refurbish and install programs on 20 desktop computers, which will be donated to the nonprofit organization Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Mcburnie told First Coast News he was so impressed by what Kilpatrick was able to do that future interns will be given the same task. "I think we started something really good here," he said.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up