Personal Statement

I have been privileged to work closely with the elderly community through the Office for the Aging and local hospice facilities, hearing the wealth of stories, experiences, and memories each resident has to share. In many cases, they may have never been asked by a young person for their thoughts or opinions. Having seen the painful reality of Alzheimer's disease through working with those who suffer from it, including my own grandmother, the importance of lending a voice to the elderly community has become even more vivid, as it is something we can lose and never regain.

I became a GOLD program mentor to encourage students to become active leaders in their own communities, capable of bridging gaps between people. This includes connecting generations, through dialogue that allows both sides to be heard and find commonalities. By volunteering as an ambassador for the Andrew Goodman Foundation, I intend to give these students an opportunity to vote and speak for what they believe: a right that their predecessors may not have had. It becomes all the more important to speak when one understands the precious value of the time they have been given, from those who have lived full lives already.