October 2013

Budding entrepreneur fills campus need

FF_ValentineThe Information Technology Department helps students with access to the university’s WiFi,  CAMS and student email, but what happens if a student needs a virus removed from their laptop or an update to Microsoft Office or some other problem that the IT department does not handle?

For sophomore Isaiah Valentine, that situation presented an opportunity. He started Tech Resources, a business that he says offers affordable computer services to students.

“A lot of students have computers and I wanted to help them get software they needed to become a successful students,” Valentine said. “As of late, my business has been showing progress.”

Among the services he offers are installing computer programs such as Microsoft Office, Rosetta Stone and Virus Protection. He says he offers students a better deal than established businesses such as Best Buy, Triangle Tech Computer Repair, and DEEDOC Computers. While those businesses provide computer repair in a range from $50 to $100, Valentine charges no more than $15 for repairs and no more than $40 to install software. And Valentine says his service is faster and more convenient to students.

Freshman Jazzmine Barnes took advantage of Tech Resources and was pleased with Valentine’s service. “It took no longer than a day because he works fast.” Barnes said. “I will definitely use his services again because of that and how confident he is in his work.”

Valentine gives less than an hour to install software or to fix a problem unless it’s a more complicated problem that may requires a few hours.

Sophomore Daisia Robinson admires Valentine’s helpfulness and ambition. “It’s good to see a student helping another, especially with computers because it can get pretty expensive,” she said. “It’s even better that we don’t have to go off campus to repair.”

Contact Isaiah Valentine for computer repair and installation at (845) 542-9387 or Imvalentine616@gmail.com

 Brittany Brown