Sacramento State’s Renaissance Society, a program focused on lifelong learning for older adults, is preparing to mark its 40th anniversary next year. The organization offers online classes and Friday seminars on campus, but one of its most enduring initiatives is the mentorship program for Gerontology students.
As part of this program, students in Jennifer Stevenson’s Gerontology courses are paired with Renaissance Society mentors for a semester-long project. They meet several times in person or virtually, with students interviewing their mentors about their life stories and views on aging and death.
Kirsten Ortega, a 21-year-old student at Sacramento State, described her initial apprehension before meeting her 82-year-old mentor. “I was extremely nervous at our first meeting,” Ortega said. “I didn’t feel I’d be able to connect because we had totally different mindsets because of our ages … but we clicked instantly.”
“After that first meeting, I knew this was something I’d remember and look back on for the rest of my life.”
The mentorship initiative is popular among members of the Renaissance Society. According to President Deanna Hanson, some members mentor multiple students each semester and return to participate year after year.
“It’s almost like you’ve got another grandchild for a period of time,” Hanson said. “Most of the discussions revolve around experiences we’ve had and recalling those major times, including our goals and any regrets we may have had.
“One question was about how I feel about my impending death. So, it gets pretty heavy, but it’s a very, very positive experience.”
Stevenson noted that many Gerontology students will go on to work as care providers or managers in settings that serve older adults such as aging communities or health care fields. She emphasized the value of real-world experience: “We’re trying to have students gain experience working with the people they will be serving,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson herself participated in the mentorship program more than ten years ago when she was a student at Sacramento State. “I really loved my mentor experience,” she said. “He’s still a mentor today, and I still enjoy talking to him. I know if there’s ever any advice or anything I need, he would give that to me.”
Recent studies indicate both older adults and young people are particularly vulnerable to loneliness; research from the Department of Health and Human Services found that older adults face high rates of social isolation while young adults are twice as likely as those over 65 to report feeling lonely.
Ortega reflected on how her relationship with Hanson helped during a challenging period in her life: “I was going through a very rough time in my life back then,” Ortega said. “I was struggling in my courses, and I was planning a move halfway across the country when I’d never even been outside of California.”
“I was very much struggling with all the unknowns in my life, and I was so young.”
She credited conversations with Hanson for helping her persevere through these difficulties: “Learning about where she began and the hardships she had in her life and seeing this amazing, happy woman who is so confident within herself really helped me,” Ortega said. “If she can do it, and she sees herself in me, then I’m definitely going to be okay.”
Ortega also spoke about how her perspective on aging changed after participating: “People think aging is something that drags you down, that you’re not able to get out and experience things anymore,” Ortega said. “But that’s wrong. Deanna is still making friends and still going out. Maybe not ‘til 1 a.m., but she’s still enjoying her life.”
