Before joining CHART as the Spring 2025 intern, I had spent over a thousand hours working with older adults – first as a Certified Nursing Assistant in a nursing home, then as a Patient Care Technician on a hospital cardiac floor. My experiences at the bedside brought me a deep appreciation for the older adult population and the unique challenges they face. My interest in this demographic drove me to seek out aging beyond a clinical focus, which is what brought me to CHART. 

As a future Physician Assistant, I have a largely clinical and STEM-centric background. However, CHART quickly showed me how aging is so much more than a medical process – it is a social, technological, and policy-driven experience. Whether I was sitting in on community meetings, jotting notes during presentations on inclusive research, or walking through the McKechnie Family LIFE Home to see smart technology in action – I started to connect the dots between my exposure from the hospital and the happenings in the field of aging research. 

One of the most influential experiences this semester was attending the CARD-CHART Symposium. Hearing from leaders in aging and disability, many of whom started with clinical backgrounds like mine, was a reminder that my future PA path does not have to be linear. I saw how clinical practice and research could intertwine to drive real change, and that is something I will carry with me as I graduate in the coming weeks and proceed in my career. 

I also learned skills like how to edit the CHART website to make it more accessible and age friendly. Moreover, with the guidance of my supervisor, Carrie Wennerdahl, I saw the value of thinking thoroughly and creatively with each project. Her positivity and passion directed me through new experiences and refined my skills in communicating. Similarly, witnessing the deductive processes exhibited by Dr. Wendy Rogers led me to acknowledge language, tone, and usability – even in everyday communication, not only for digital presentation. How can I be more culturally competent? How can I make another person feel heard and seen? All of these and more are tools I will use to make myself a better provider. 

I learned through this internship that progress occurs not just in hospitals, but also in conference rooms, community centers, and even on websites. I am so grateful to the CHART staff for making me feel as if I were part of something bigger than myself. I leave this position more curious, more compassionate, and more committed than ever to serving the aging population through advocacy and innovation.