I decided to go into the Gerontology program at Quinnipiac because since a young child I have been extremely close to my grandparents and feel that my relationship with them has significantly impacted my life in a positive way. Because of this I decided to volunteer at an adult day program in high school, which is where I developed my love for the elderly population and knew that a career in this field would not only bring meaning to my life, but meaning to the lives of older adults that I come into contact with.
Not many individuals my age see the importance of intergenerational contact and I think this is an important career choice because every individual will be affected by aging or have to communicate with the aging population at some point in their life. I love my major because it gives me the ability to give back to my community through internship experiences and gives me a sense of purpose by helping a population that is often neglected.
The professional field that I am interested in is Geriatric Care Management which deals with assessing the needs of the older population and finding solutions available through resources around them. My first internship at Quinnipiac was at the Agency on Aging where I completed at home visits with care managers and help individuals in the community find the resources they need. Next semester I will be interning for the program Borrow My Glasses which is a program with the goal to bring new perspectives to aging and caregiving. They bring this new perspective of aging to the forefront through educational programs.
For someone considering majoring in Gerontology at Quinnipiac, I would tell them that our generation has the ability to make a change in how the world views the aging population and with this major, any individual can make that change. I would also encourage any Gerontology major to get involved in as many community events as possible and take your internships seriously because this will be your way to communicate with the elderly population and gain more knowledge.
