“It’s nice to see that everybody genuinely wants to help,” reflects CTN program coordinator Audrey Potts. “It’s nice to wake up in the morning and think, ‘I really want to do something great for CTN and our partners today.’”
As a Bolivian American, Audrey Potts feels fortunate to have grown up in various Latin communities. She spent most of her childhood living in Bolivia and the Caribbean before moving to Sacramento during high school. Upon moving, Audrey faced a culture shock of sorts. She was accustomed to small, American schools abroad, then found herself in a class of 300 students at a large public school. Reflecting on the challenging transition, Audrey recognizes how important it was to have encouraging and patient teachers to help her get out of her shell.
Audrey went on to study consumer economics and merchandising at San Francisco State University and eventually started a career in coordinating. As she worked in tech companies and event planning, Audrey gained a knack for organizing logistics and making things happen. “Thinking about my career path, I realize that every job I took always had something to do with the Latin community and technology in some shape or form,” Audrey reflects. “I’ve always had a soft spot for low-income communities within the Latin world. Growing up, I saw the poverty in other countries, and I wish they had the unbelievable resources we have in the United States. I’ve always wanted to give the community the ability to tap into that.”
When the pandemic hit, Audrey’s work in the events sector temporarily ended as it did in so many industries. She decided to take a contract job teaching with CTN with our partner, the Episcopal Community Services (ECS). As the contract came to an end, Audrey knew she wanted to keep working with CTN. Fortunately for everyone, CTN had a position open for a program coordinator and Audrey was the perfect fit!
Seven months later, Audrey wears many hats at CTN. Part of her job entails keeping track of deliverables, maintaining contact with our partners, and coordinating the logistics of our programs. Other times, Audrey is on the front lines teaching new tech skills to Spanish- and English-speaking learners throughout the Bay Area. No matter what her day-to-day looks like, Audrey is motivated to help new tech users feel comfortable in their learning journey.
“I always tell everybody that every day is a new day for learning. It doesn’t matter how old you are — today you’re going to learn something,” says Audrey. “A lot of people don’t have the financial means to get online. … Maybe they are connected to the internet but don’t know how to use it or maybe they have a language barrier. Well, there are organizations like CTN who really do care and work so hard within each community on outreach and getting these services out there. It warms my heart.”
The CTN team is lucky to have Audrey’s infectious positivity and compassionate dedication. Wanna join us? Check out our current job and volunteer opportunities to participate in the CTN community.
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