From Volunteer to Changemaker: My 7-Year Journey

It started in a high school hallway. “We need volunteers for the senior center,” the announcement said. I signed up, thinking I’d help serve meals or play bingo. I had no idea this decision would reshape not only my career, but my understanding of what it means to connect across generations while facing loss

Year 1-2: The Reality Check

• Realized existing activities weren’t working – residents struggled with complicated games 
• Watched the disconnection between generations unfold before my eyes
• Started questioning: “How can we do better?” 
• Meanwhile at home, my grand aunt received her Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2022, bringing these challenges into sharp personal focus

Year 3-4: The Pivot

• AP Capstone project on intergenerational connection 
• Created first prototype during pandemic isolation 
• Featured in LA Times on Thanksgiving 2020 
• Watched my grand aunt’s memory slowly slip away, experiencing firsthand what caregivers call “grieving someone while they’re still alive”

Year 5-7: The Science

• Chose neuroscience major to understand the “why” behind what I was witnessing
• Conducted formal research with 100+ seniors and their families
• Developed evidence-based activities while my aunt was in late-stage care 
• Built community of 6,000+ supporters 
• Lost my grand aunt during thesis development – she became both my inspiration and my reminder of why this work matters

Key Lessons Learned:

✓ Listen more than you talk: Elders have wisdom, and silence is an invitation.

✓ Challenge assumptions: I discovered the post-WWII generation wasn’t forgetting stories; they’d been told “you talk too much” as children and needed permission to share

✓ Embrace imperfection: When residents struggled with colored pencils that “reminded them of functionality they’d lost,” we switched to stickers and simple motor activities

✓ Technology isn’t always the answer: Brain training games on iPads felt clinical and cold; human connection through simple conversations proved far more powerful

✓ Focus on connection, not just cognition: My family would rent a violin to play for my aunt because music helped her be less stiff and more engaged. We couldn’t cure her body, but we could still care for her soul

✓ Think long-term: Real change takes years, and sometimes the impact isn’t visible until much later. Be patient and stick with it 🙂

The Deeper Truth

This journey taught me that meaningful change happens when you combine compassion with science, when you let personal loss fuel public purpose. From serving lunch to developing neuroscience-based interventions, I learned that our greatest innovations often emerge from our deepest grief – and our determination to ensure others don’t face the same challenges alone.

The 6,000+ people in our community aren’t just supporters; they’re fellow travelers who understand that every conversation matters, every moment of connection counts, and every small breakthrough offers hope to families navigating the complex landscape of memory challenges.