The first Best Buy Teen Tech Center to be located on a community college campus will officially open its doors on Tuesday, August 27.
Located on the campus of Wallace Community College in Selma (WCCS), the center for area teens is the result of a partnership among the college, Best Buy and NFL veteran Michael Johnson’s MJ 93-90 Foundation.

The center, announced earlier this year in May, will serve as a safe place for students to learn new technology based skills.

“What we really see this center as is a safe space for kids to come in and learn about different technology they’ve never seen before,” said Best Buy Teen Tech Center Coordinator Adam Pettway during the center’s unveiling earlier this year.

According to Pettway, the Teen Tech Center will house state-of-the-art computers, photography and filmmaking equipment and 3-D printers to be used for helping area children develop their technological skills.

According to the Department of Labor, nearly 80 percent of all jobs will require tech skills by 2020, yet community-based job readiness resources are on the decline.
Best Buy is working with local nonprofit partners, like the MJ 93-90 Foundation, to prepare youth from underserved communities for the tech-reliant careers of the future.

Pettway expressed his excitement as the center nears its opening date.

“As the teen tech center is nearing its grand opening we are ecstatic about the opportunity to introduce the center to the to the wonderful children in Selma and the surrounding area,” he said.

“The center will be more than just a safe place for the youth to come but a home for them to come and feel cared for and nurtured. We want to introduce the youth of this community to the wonders of technology.”