I interviewed gerontology lecturer Alexandra Wilkinson. Alex teaches gerontology at CSULB. She graduated from the same program we are going through, and I was a student of hers during my undergraduate program. In fact, she helped motivate me to get a master’s in gerontology.
Alex said she was motivated to go into gerontology because of her grandmother, who helped raise her. After her grandfather passed away, she moved in with her and their relationship blossomed. Her grandmother guided her through many pivotal moments in life, providing support and advice. And while she was in school, she decided that she wanted to go into gerontology, even though she didn’t know that was even a thing at the time.
She did an internship at the VA Hospital, doing psychiatric research and working with people with Alzheimer's, dementia, and PTSD. The work was challenging, but it was also extremely intense, dealing with those issues. As she was already working in gerontology, Professor Maria Carpiac invited her to be on a “speed mentoring” panel for her GERN 500 class. During this event, Professor Carpiac casually mentioned that if anyone was interested in teaching, they should let her know. Alex thought she would absolutely love to teach, so she submitted herself as a candidate. That led to her being invited to teach one class, and the many positive evaluations she received prompted the faculty to offer her a full-time position.
I asked what gerontology students should do to prepare themselves. She shared that she feels it is really, really essential to do at least one internship because it is an opportunity to learn what you like and what you don’t. For instance, while she appreciated the opportunity for her internship at the VA, there were many personal reasons that she felt she would not like a job there. She intended to go into research, which the VA internship allowed her to pursue, but there were too many aspects that she didn't enjoy. However, she loves teaching, and this position also allows her to do research, making it a happy choice.
I followed up by asking her advice about going into teaching, and she shared that she thinks what it takes to be a good teacher is connection. A person thinking of going into teaching should create a warm openness in conversations, which she sees resonates with many students, especially in this field.
When asked for advice for the program, she shared that students shouldn’t feel they have to have all the answers. Professors don't even have all the answers. Both students and professors are still learning all the time. There isn’t always one right answer.
When I asked her about current topics of interest, she shared something she is working on. She pointed out that in Disney movies, many show an older person as the bad person trying to steal something from a younger person, which is one way we have been taught to fear older people. There are so many stereotypes we learn about older people that make us turn away or view them as lesser members of society.
Professor Wilkinson said this made her realize that she needed to reprogram herself and that we also needed to reprogram others. This starts with getting more education to individuals working in this field. The more gerontology professors do this, the better this field will be. This will improve care for older people because it will improve people's ability to care.
The last thing she shared was that no matter what any gerontology student chooses to do or where they choose to go, we all need to practice self-care. This is essential for several reasons. The biggest reason is that when we interact with older people, we take on a lot of their or their family's stuff. That can squeeze us so much that we won't have enough left to care for ourselves or our loved ones.
I have always appreciated Alex’s openness and advice. And I feel that her advice during this conversation will serve me well as I work towards completing my Master’s degree and navigating my future career.