Tucked away in the Learning Commons, the tech specialist’s office is the primary site of tech support at Portola High School. Tech Specialist III Marco Maldonado assists teachers with technical obstacles and helps students access technology for learning.

Maldonado has worked seven years in the information technology (IT) field to support education across several districts and began working in the Irvine Unified School District approximately a year ago. After becoming Portola High’s Tech Specialist III at the beginning of the school year, the responsibility of supporting approximately 2,800 students, along with certified staff, was a challenge and allowed him to address distinct technical needs from various elective courses, according to Maldonado. When discussing his role, Maldonado said that a technological obstacle to student learning is like an emergency to him.

“At the end of the day, the goal is to make sure that we are all working towards teaching [students],” Maldonado said. “So if a teacher’s projector is not working, that’s an emergency because that teacher has built their entire lesson plan around that critical piece of infrastructure being available to them.”

Maldonado initially worked for theater tech after high school as a stage and lighting tech manager; over time, following the state’s increased demand for computer labs in districts, he transitioned to the IT field. Maldonado finds fulfillment in interactions with students, which are not as common, as he largely works with staff and behind the scenes, according to Maldonado.

“It is nice being able to talk to [students] for even a brief minute while [they’re] trying to get [their] password reset,” Maldonado said. “The goal is to make sure that students have every opportunity to learn. I’ve never lost sight of that.”

Because of the extensive, day-to-day use of technology at Portola High, Maldonado impacts the student body significantly as he contributes to the learning and teaching processes at school, according to Assistant Principal Steven Chai.

“All of the software, all of the hardware, the wiring, the projectors, the speakers, the microphones, all of that is very involved,” Chai said. “We take it for granted, because especially in a place like Portola, it works so well. I hope readers don’t take that for granted because there’s people [who] work really hard to maintain that.”

Senior Connor Hsiao worked with Maldonado to resolve technical difficulties for Yearbook when the class had trouble accessing Adobe, a key platform for editing and Photoshop. With Maldonado’s extensive experience with the platform, the issue was resolved.

“He has a vital role of helping all our staff and he’s there to help,” Hsiao said. “It’s an unsung recognition, so I hope people would just appreciate that more.”

As a tech specialist, Maldonado said that a challenge is the stereotype regarding IT work as an introverted and secluded profession. However, the role requires effective communication with a variety of people from different ages and desire to help at a school, according to Maldonado.

For Maldonado, future goals include ensuring that all Extron panels, which allow for convenient projections in classroom settings, function effectively. He said that he hopes that his role will support both teachers and students.

“My hope for my teachers is that they can offload tech, and they don’t have to worry about tech,” Maldonado said. “When something goes down, [teachers] know that someone is going to come in and fix it for them and that it’s going to be done as quickly as possible so that there’s little interference to their day. For students, [my role is] making sure that [they] can get access to the stuff that [they] need to learn. I’m here to eliminate all barriers of technical issues for [them].”