Community Tech Network Community Tech Network
Transforming Lives Through Digital Equity. DONATE
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Mission & Values
    • Annual Report
    • Our Impact
    • CTN History
    • Staff
    • Board
    • Partners
    • Funders
    • Jobs
    • Contact Us
  • What We Do
    • Capacity Building
    • Direct Services
  • Impact Stories
    • Videos
    • Case Studies
      • San Francisco Responds to COVID-19 (PDF)
      • The Pandemic Pivot (PDF)
    • Newsletters
    • CTN In the News
    • Spotlight Stories
      • Volunteer Spotlights
      • Learner Spotlights
      • Partner Spotlights
      • Funder Spotlights
      • Staff Spotlights
    • CTN Advocacy
    • Sign up for CTN eNews
  • PARTNER WITH US
  • Volunteer
    • Become a Digital Coach
    • Volunteer Heroes
    • Application
  • Resources
    • Request a Digital Coach
    • Training Schedule
    • SF Connected Calendar
    • Affordable Connectivity Program
  • Donate
Community Tech Network Community Tech Network
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Mission & Values
    • Annual Report
    • Our Impact
    • CTN History
    • Staff
    • Board
    • Partners
    • Funders
    • Jobs
    • Contact Us
  • What We Do
    • Capacity Building
    • Direct Services
  • Impact Stories
    • Videos
    • Case Studies
      • San Francisco Responds to COVID-19 (PDF)
      • The Pandemic Pivot (PDF)
    • Newsletters
    • CTN In the News
    • Spotlight Stories
      • Volunteer Spotlights
      • Learner Spotlights
      • Partner Spotlights
      • Funder Spotlights
      • Staff Spotlights
    • CTN Advocacy
    • Sign up for CTN eNews
  • PARTNER WITH US
  • Volunteer
    • Become a Digital Coach
    • Volunteer Heroes
    • Application
  • Resources
    • Request a Digital Coach
    • Training Schedule
    • SF Connected Calendar
    • Affordable Connectivity Program
  • Donate
Nov 05

Employee Spotlight: Al Ho

  • November 5, 2020
  • General, Staff Spotlights

Photo: Al Ho and several of his students (pre-pandemic) after a session of their digital learning class taught in Cantonese at the Sunset Beacon Neighborhood Center. 

Al Ho began his CTN career just over a year ago. He decided to look for employment with a nonprofit because he knew that he wanted to work closely with people in need. A Google search presented a number of choices, and he selected CTN because of his technology background. Al joined the CTN team as a bilingual digital literacy instructor.

Born in Hong Kong, Al came to the U.S. right out of high school over 30 years ago on a college scholarship. After college and graduate school, he worked for five years as a research scientist at Caltech in Pasadena, focusing on supercomputers and their associated applications. He then accepted a similar position with IBM in San Jose, where his interest in neural networks, deep learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) was sparked.

“When I joined CTN, I was looking for an opportunity to touch people’s lives in a purposeful and meaningful way. While working with technology at a high level was rewarding and I knew I was making a difference, I was so far removed from an individual end user — a real person,” Al told us. “Being a digital literacy instructor was a life-changing experience for me. Sitting face-to-face (before COVID) with an older adult learner was what I needed. It made me happy to see the smiles on their faces as they learned new things about their tablet, the internet, and themselves.”

Al’s role with CTN changed after the pandemic hit. Al continues to be instrumental in assisting CTN’s new Home Connect program’s clients obtain home internet access so they can begin their remote training. He also helps configure and remotely distribute tablets to the new learners. “I remember one day calling a new Home Connect participant to see if her tablet had arrived and to help her become familiar with her device. She said she had received it but had not opened it yet because her hands were shaking so much from her nervous excitement, she feared dropping it. It made me feel so good that I was changing her life!”

Al’s part-time work with CTN allows him to remain involved and actively working with technology theory and engineering advancements. Al, we truly appreciate your commitment to our older adult learners and are proud to have you on our team.

Related

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • E-Mail

Related Posts

  • Volunteer Spotlight: Serena PangOctober 26, 2021
  • From Learner to Trainer: Karen’s Senior Connect SuccessSeptember 27, 2021
  • Learner Spotlight: Linda Z.October 22, 2020
  • Staff Spotlight: Laurie SanchezJune 2, 2020

Comments are closed.

CTN Stories

  • Videos
  • Newsletters
  • CTN In the News
  • Volunteer Spotlights
  • Learner Spotlights
  • Partner Spotlights
  • Funder Spotlights
  • CTN Advocacy

Stay Connected with CTN by signing up for our email list.

Recent Posts

  • Why Is the Internet More Expensive in the USA than in Other Countries?
  • What Is Digital Redlining and How Does It Perpetuate Poverty?
  • Digital Mythbusting: Why Smartphones Are Not Enough to Bridge the Digital Divide
  • CTN Offers Digital Navigator Training to Youth Library Volunteers
  • Thank You for All Your Support in 2022! – Jan 2023

Follow us on Facebook

This message is only visible to admins.
Problem displaying Facebook posts. Backup cache in use.
Click to show error
Error: Invalid OAuth access token - Cannot parse access token Type: OAuthException

Community Tech Network believes that access to the Internet is a human right and that those without the skills to use a computer are at risk of social and economic disadvantage.

Contact Us

San Francisco Office
1390 Market Street, Suite 200
San Francisco, CA 94102

General Questions
inquiries@communitytechnetwork.org
855-983-0318

Press
press@communitytechnetwork.org
855-983-0318 x 3636
Media Kit

Explore job opportunities with CTN

Send us a note:

©2022 Community Tech Network. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Proudly powered by WordPress Hosted by Pressable