OAM 2026: Meet Digital Ambassador Cuong Le 

Since 1963, May has been designated as Older Americans Month (OAM) to recognize older adults and highlight their impact in our community. As 2026’s theme is “Champion Your Health”, this May we have been spotlighting older adults volunteering with our organization who are committed to aging well, healthily, and on their own terms.     

One of the largest challenges facing older adults everywhere is the digital divide. In Santa Clara County, technological innovation surrounds us, and yet increasingly, older adults find themselves lost in the digital landscape. To empower the older members of our community, Sourcewise, in partnership with the San Jose Public Library Foundation and the City of San Jose Parks & Recreation Neighborhood Services, launched the Digital Ambassador Program (DAP) in 2025. DAP is a “Seniors Empowering Seniors” initiative. Program participants receive training from the Sourcewise Digital Link team while demonstrating mastery in at least one specific technology topic. Digital Ambassadors are committed to sharing their time and knowledge with fellow older adults, truly embodying the mission and values of Sourcewise.  

For Cuong Le, one of our Digital Ambassadors, volunteering with DAP has brought a greater sense of happiness and fulfillment to his life, in particular the opportunity to share with and learn from other participants.  

He initially encountered the Digital Link team by chance at the Roosevelt Community Center. Since retiring in November 2025, Cuong became a regular fixture at the community center and enjoyed playing ping-pong with other members and visitors to the center. Over time, he became acquainted with Vivian, one of the members of the Digital Link team. He learned that they were launching DAP, and that they were looking for older adults like himself who had not only a background using technology, but a passion for empowering others. As Cuong had a BFA in Graphic Design and had taught classes about video editing throughout the course of his career, he felt being a Digital Ambassador was a natural extension of his interests and experience.  

From his own personal relationships, Cuong observed that many of his peers liked to use their smart phones to capture photos and videos to preserve memories and share them with their relatives. He realized that there was a real opportunity to teach other older adults how to digitally edit videos so that they could fully document, preserve, and share their memories for themselves and others. So as Cuong embarked upon the process of becoming a Digital Ambassador, he specifically requested to teach digital video editing on the iPhone and iPad to fellow older adults.  

Upon reflecting on his time being a Digital Ambassador, one experience in particularly has stood out to Cuong:  

“I will never forget a moment in class when a shy senior woman, with a big smile, proudly showed me a short video clip she had created using AI technology that I taught her. It captured her youthful high school memories from long ago. In that moment, I felt even happier than she did. It reminded me that our fellow seniors can face new technology with ‘no fear.’” 

An older adult himself, Cuong firmly believes in the power of technology and wants to encourage others around him to embrace it, rather than fear it:  

“Whether we like it or not, technology is part of our lives. Learning to live with it – and overcoming the fear of new, emerging technologies – is possible with the Digital Access Program at Sourcewise. Thanks to my work experience, I am aware of many helpful programs available to seniors in the community. However, many people do not know about programs like Sourcewise Digital Access or activities like ping pong at Roosevelt. Hopefully, programs can be better advertised and reach more communities, so seniors like me, especially retirees and those with low incomes, can have access to technology.” 

For many, healthy aging looks like being involved, active, and engaged with their local community. For Cuong, it meant utilizing the skills and passions he’d cultivated over a lifetime to empower others to take charge of their health. Being a champion of health looks different for everyone. This Older Americans Month, discover and define what that means for you.