Meet the Trainer: Daniel Sandoval

Daniel Sandoval joined New York City’s Senior Planet team in early 2023 after working with the Boys and Girls Club, where he taught STEM classes and chess. Now, Daniel is bringing his enthusiasm for learning and community to Senior Planet partner sites all around NYC! 

What are some favorite parts of the job?
I think for me it’s the satisfaction of helping people feel comfortable asking questions. I always tell participants that the biggest way that we can combat fear is through knowledge. The more we know, the less scary things are. So, I tell them, “Ask questions. That’s why I’m here!” 

What’s your favorite class experience?
For the most part, I’ve been teaching a wide variety of programs like computer essentials and iPad essentials. One that was really interesting to dive into was the AI class. When we started offering that class, we had a lot of questions. A lot of the participants were definitely afraid. The biggest thing was like, “So when is this going to take over? Why should I even get into the AI?” We wanted to let the participants know that, listen, AI is here to stay, it’s not scary, it can be fun if you just know how to use it. We started talking about ChatGPT and using other forms of generative AI. We ended up making music with AI!

Interested in building your own website? Learn some basic web design tips from Daniel in this video, and visit seniorplanet.org/googlesites to sign up for our brand new self-paced course!

What do you like to do outside of work?
If I’m not at the gym, I’m usually playing video games, watching anime, or volunteering with my church. 

What does aging with attitude mean to you?
I love that motto. That’s one of the things that I really grown to appreciate working at Senior Planet. I’ve been able to see a lot of older adults have this desire for life. They just want to do more. So to me, aging was attitude is not letting age define you when it comes to what you can do, what you can learn and who you are as a person. It means telling aging, “That this isn’t about you, this is about me enjoying my life.”

Pam Hugi is Senior Planet’s Community and Advocacy Manager. Based in Brooklyn, she is a contributing writer for this site.