Lifestyle, Profiles

CHY List: Gretchen Ho, the Empowering Advocate

Sketch by Lexter Ang

 

With the arrival of 2021’s Year of the Metal Ox, CHiNOY TV has put together its inaugural CHY List, which aims to annually celebrate the achievements of 10 Chinoys who have all accomplished great things, inspired others, and made significant contributions to their respective fields and beyond. 

We will also be releasing individual features to highlight the accomplishments of each of this year’s CHY List honorees. Today, we shine the spotlight on Gretchen Ho.

It’s rare that you meet someone who does not know of Gretchen Ho. Athlete, host, speaker, advocate are just a few of the things they may recognize her as. She has taken on many roles and achieved a lot despite her young age.

Athletic achievements

Gretchen started her volleyball career while studying at the Immaculate Conception Academy, Greenhills. She then played collegiate volleyball for the Ateneo Lady Eagles for 5 years from 2008 to 2013. She was part of the starting team that brought the Lady Eagles to the UAAP finals two years in a row, now deemed the “fab five.” She then played professional volleyball for the Petron Blaze Spikers from 2013 to 2015 and even helped them win the 2014 Grad Prix Conference.

 

Source: IMDb

 

After graduating with a double degree in BS Management Engineering and AB Communications with a minor in Development Management, Ho shifted into show business, making her television debut hosting Gameday Weekend, a sports talk show that aired on Balls and ABS-CBN Sports+Action from 2013 to 2015. Since then, she’s worked on shows like TV Patrol, Umagang Kay Ganda, Team U, The Score, and even our own CHiNOY TV. She’s currently an anchor for The Big Story on One News and Frontline Pilipinas on TV5.

Woman-In-Action

In the midst of her busy schedule, in 2017, Ho became an Ambassador for Health and Nutrition of the local branch of World Vision. She also speaks up for the Filipino people, asking for transparency from the government for concrete plans to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

On her 30th birthday, Ho launched her own brand and online platform, Woman-In-Action. The platform is a safe space to share stories of inspiration and happiness. People can send in their stories of #happinews to celebrate and share the joy with people that need to find hope in these dark times.

Gretchen also started the “Donate a Bike, Save a Life” program that provided those in need with a bike, helmet, and vest so that they could travel to work more easily and safely during the height of the pandemic. Donations are currently closed, but they did post a transparency report showing that the program was able to provide 1,100 bicycles.

 

Source: YouTube

Gretchen Ho is still young and on the rise, using her influence and platform to uplift the community. This woman in action will continue to be someone to watch out for.

 

Curious about the other CHY List honorees? For the complete inaugural CHY List, check out the article here.

 

In addition to celebrating the achievements of the Filipino-Chinese, CHiNOY TV also actively supports the Chinoy creative community. This year’s CHY List photos have been produced in partnership with Chinoy sketch artist Lexter Ang. For more of his works, check out his Facebook page Sketch with Lex!

Related Posts

Leave a Reply