Kevin McGuire is the Director of Technology for Michigan City Area Schools. McGuire has been in the field since 1995 and has had a job in the school system since 1999. As the director, along with day-to-day tasks such as managing the technology, McGuire also manages all the employees in the department.
“We manage every laptop, desktop, Chromebook, and cell phone,” McGuire said. “I oversee the support department. I don't do the work myself on a daily standpoint. I work with the administration doing umbrella things such as planning and preparing. Currently, we're going through a transition to a new student management system. So, I'm responsible for that, and on a daily basis, I'm doing planning and preparation for projects.”
McGuire did not begin working in the technology field but actually began with a different major in college. Due to an internship, McGuire developed a love for working with technology and continued in the field from there.
“I actually went to Purdue University and was working on my aeronautical engineering degree,” McGuire said. “So that's where I started, and the first internship that I got within that field was in Los Angeles. They put me in the software acquisition department for the corporation, so I found myself doing a lot of stuff on computers. From that point on after that summer, I came back to another semester with engineering and transferred out the following semester into technology."
Along with his love of working with technology, McGuire enjoys the fact that he makes an impact on the lives of the kids that pass through the school system.
“I like being hands-on and working with people,” McGuire said. “I’ve been here for 21 years, so I know that I have had a direct impact on several thousand kids' lives. Whether they know me personally or not, we've crossed paths at one point.”
Along with his career, McGuire spends a lot of time with his family, specifically traveling. McGuire is also a baseball coach, which shows his continued passion for working with kids.
“I have three kids, they're all teenagers, and we try to travel a lot as a family,” McGuire said. “So, we do a lot of car time as a group. Also, my boys are heavily involved in baseball. Baseball is going to be part of their lives as they go on to college as well. I’ve been a baseball coach for 10 years. I really enjoy that time. Again, you get 12 to 14 kids that you have a direct impact on. Many of them don't have a male figure in life, or they just need some direction and some routine. So, I really appreciate that about the sport and just being involved with the younger kids.”
Along with his work with Michigan City Area Schools, McGuire volunteers throughout the La Porte community with a Broadband Task Force. The task force works to connect homes in the community to broadband or Wi-Fi servers for free. McGuire is specifically focused on getting students in the community free internet access in their homes.
“We just launched a wireless project within the community to offer students free internet access for Michigan City school students."
Right now, they have about 30 homes that they're connecting with, and about 300 that are targeted. They hope to have upwards of 700 by the fall.
“But really, we have students that don't have access to the internet, whether it's because they can't afford it or they live in a location where it's not available," McGuire said. "A big passion of mine right now is to push for all K-12 schools to have free internet access throughout La Porte County. That's part of what the focus of the task force is as well; to make sure that broadband is available for all households within the county.”