Source: Poverty Solutions
Community tech consultant Martina Hinton-Jones (left) works with Monique West on Nov. 19, 2025, at Detroit Sip. (Poverty Solutions at U-M)
Community tech consultant Martina Hinton-Jones (left) works with Monique West on Nov. 19, 2025, at Detroit Sip. (Poverty Solutions at U-M)
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Martina Hinton-Jones tilted her laptop screen so Monique West could see the mockup of her company’s logo adorning a black T-shirt.
“I’m going to put that on everybody,” West grinned at the first merchandise design for the STEAM education business she incorporated three years ago — WesTec Possibilities .
West met Hinton-Jones on a Wednesday afternoon in mid-November for a recurring tech consultation for her business, which aims to bridge the technology gap by connecting elementary and middle school students with robotics and other Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) educational resources.
These consultations are free to Detroit small business owners through a Community Tech Consultants program run by the University of Michigan in partnership with Jefferson East Inc and Live6 Alliance . The program equips local residents to provide tech support and digital skill development for small business owners, while strengthening community ties.
It’s proving to be an effective way for Detroiters to close the digital divide and remain competitive in the online economy. Continuing reading…
