When I was in middle school, I got to be part of one of the best experiences in my life. It all started in seventh grade when I got interviewed to be able and go to a senior living house every Tuesday and Thursday during school.

The senior living house was called Esperanza Housing and it was filled with some of the best people ever! (Now back to the story) I passed the interview and started my adventure! The following Thursday we went and sat at a table in a wide-open room and were the guests to our senior friends. At this table we would eat and chat about our lives. Some days we would split into pairs and chat one on one with a senior.

We would learn so many amazing stories from our elders, like how one had been a part of a Buddhist temple for 15 years or that one had been to some of the most ground-breaking music concerts in history! I even met a Paralympic tennis champion!

Hearing all these amazing stories has kept me inspired to today to always do what I love and what makes me happy. Another amazing thing about Esperanza was that us just being there with the seniors was helping them immensely, as most of the seniors didn’t have any close loved ones that visited often. We all offered them a sense of comfort and support just talking with them two days a week for an hour.