Meet the Trainer: Ying Cheng
Ying Cheng has been a trainer for Senior Planet from AARP for three years. She assists the Contact Center and the curriculum team, as well as teaching programs in Mandarin both virtually and in-person.
We caught up with Ying to hear what she’s looking forward to in 2023 (as the mother of three – she’s hoping it includes a lot of rest). She also talks about how she’s celebrating the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Rabbit* with her students.
What brought you to working as a Senior Planet trainer?
When a friend asked me if I knew someone who could be a tech trainer for older adults I thought, “That could be me!” I had years of experience working in the medical field and part-time teaching Chinese, so I figured I would be a good fit for this position. Here I am! So far, I have been enjoying it.
I enjoy helping people learn essential tech skills that bring convenience and joyfulness to their lives.
What are some of your favorite things about the job?
I enjoy helping people learn essential tech skills that bring convenience and joyfulness to their lives. I am profoundly grateful that this job allows me to help people and positively impact their lives.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
As a mom of three, I usually attend to my children’s needs. I also make sure to catch up with the current trends in technology. Some participants are faithful attendees of Senior Planet programs, so I always try to bring new highlights to the same topics. That way the revisiting participants will still have a fresh experience.
Will you being doing anything to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year in any of your Mandarin-language classes?
Yes! Since the topic of my next national Mandarin class is Smartphone Photography, I am planning a class activity that will have the participants learn how to apply a Lunar New Year template to their portrait photo. That way they can send it to friends/families as a greeting card to help stay connected!
Do you have any advice on how people should approach embarking on the new year?
A positive mindset is necessary to embrace the new year. The worst is over! Be appreciative and enjoy the moment.
What does aging with attitude mean to you?
To me, aging with attitude means taking control of how we want to extend the fullness of our lives.
*The rabbit is the symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese Culture; 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope.
Want to learn more about Lunar New Year traditions? Read our article from our archives about the celebrations.
Know someone interested in tech classes in Mandarin? See here for more information and class schedules.
Pam Hugi is Senior Planet’s Community and Advocacy Manager. Based in Brooklyn, she runs Senior Planet’s Supporter program in addition to being a contributing writer for this site. She can be reached at supporters@seniorplanet.org.
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Comments
I would love to have a class to learn Mandarin, both spoken and written.
For some reasons, I can no longer find/access those Chinese tech classes on my screen that you are teaching in Mandarin when last week I could. Do you speak only Mandarin? Do you also speak Cantonese? Do you have handout during class in Chinese?
The Mandarin classes are posted here: https://cms.seniorplanet.org/chinese/
The programs are delivered in Mandarin. The handouts for each lecture are posted to the event page and are written in Traditional Chinese.
Would be interested in a very, very beginning class in Mandrin
Do we have any contacts that will be available for local meetings in the Dallas, Texas area??
https://cms.seniorplanet.org/locations/san-antonio/
we have Senior Planet partner sites throughout San Antonio. Link is above.