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Student’s Choice: My Most Meaningful Experience as a College Student (Identity vs Online Persona)

April 5, 2020

In this crazy time of quarantine, one of the things I have been missing the most is the senior day center where I volunteer. It has been a huge part of my life and helped me figure out what I think I am interested in for a lifelong career, so I thought today would be a good time to talk about how important it is and what it means to me. When I started college, I was not entirely sure what I wanted to do when I graduated. I was torn between research scientist and medicine, and after several experiences in labs I decided it was not the right career path for me for a variety of reasons. The summer between my sophomore and junior years of college, I stayed up at school to take summer classes. I figured I might as well do something valuable with my time while I was not in class and that I should get to know the greater Binghamton community better since I only really knew what was happening on campus. I decided to volunteer at a senior day center. I had volunteered at a nursing home in middle school and it was something I really enjoyed, so I thought this would be familiar and an equally positive experience. 

All summer, I went in two times a week and played dominoes with the clients. The program I volunteer for is a social day program for adults with early stage Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as a variety of other conditions such as stroke or kidney disease. The program is strictly social and acts as entertainment for the clients as well as time for the caregivers to relax or grocery shop or work or whatever else needs to be done. The clients at the Binghamton branch of the program were absolutely lovely and wanted to hear all about Binghamton University and how my experiences there were. While we played, they would talk about their own limited childhood memories, their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the history of Binghamton, since many of them had lived in the area for 50 or more years. It was a really great way for me to learn about and help give back to the community where I was living. 

I continued volunteering throughout the next few years, all the way until current day. Being in this environment and seeing and hearing about the daily struggles of the clients helped drive me towards a career in medicine, specifically geriatrics. Several other experiences in my life also helped me come to this conclusion, but volunteering was definitely a large factor. Nothing is set in stone, and I may change my mind as I get more experience in medicine, but as of now I feel pretty good about what I want my career to look like. I love the community that this program in Binghamton fosters, both the clients themselves and all of the incredible staff members. Unfortunately, the program is currently closed due to the pandemic, and I was not able to really have any closure or say goodbye to all the wonderful people I have had the pleasure of spending the last few years with, but I am keeping in close touch.

While this experience has been a huge part of my personal and professional life, it is not something I have ever posted about online or made any reference to in any of my social media accounts. This is a large divide in who I am as a person and who I show I am online. I believe all people, especially college students, should volunteer and try to get to know their community a little better if they are willing and able to, but I find it difficult to put this into words on a Facebook or Instagram post. Not everyone has the same privilege to be able to volunteer their time, and I definitely do not want to come across as preachy or anything like that. For now, I think this will remain part of my personal journey, and hopefully as I grow up and my career develops I can help get this message out in a way and on a platform that I find appropriate. 

On a side note, there are no pictures attached to this post because I legally cannot take or post any pictures of the clients or location where I volunteer for safety reasons.