By: Selena Lopez
Life Course Scholar
This week, our LCS team was divided into small groups and tasked with assessing the “age-friendliness” of six neighborhoods in San Diego. My group was assigned the city of Linda Vista, a community in close proximity to the University of San Diego. With this in mind, I half-expected the community of Linda Vista to be an affluent area with plenty of resources to promote healthy aging. I was then surprised to discover that there is only a partial truth to my original assumption! While the area of Linda Vista we visited is in fact closely knitted to USD, the community itself does not necessarily share in its wealth. Upon arriving, we noticed cracked streets and a chain of stores in Vietnamese- indicating diversity and an immigrant presence. Next to a street exit, we also caught a glimpse of a memorial for a victim. A resident of the area later explained to us that a young individual had been shot at that location only a few months prior.
Life Course Scholar
This week, our LCS team was divided into small groups and tasked with assessing the “age-friendliness” of six neighborhoods in San Diego. My group was assigned the city of Linda Vista, a community in close proximity to the University of San Diego. With this in mind, I half-expected the community of Linda Vista to be an affluent area with plenty of resources to promote healthy aging. I was then surprised to discover that there is only a partial truth to my original assumption! While the area of Linda Vista we visited is in fact closely knitted to USD, the community itself does not necessarily share in its wealth. Upon arriving, we noticed cracked streets and a chain of stores in Vietnamese- indicating diversity and an immigrant presence. Next to a street exit, we also caught a glimpse of a memorial for a victim. A resident of the area later explained to us that a young individual had been shot at that location only a few months prior.
By chance, we happened on a place called the Bayside Community Center. As we entered, a lady greeted us with a warm smile and offered us a brief run-down of the center’s purpose. We were encouraged to explore the nooks and crannies of the center, and so proceeded toward a hallway showcasing many of the center’s accomplishments. Upon hearing about a community garden offered by the center, we headed outside and were stunned to see a large, beautiful, and well-kept garden on the rear end of the center. With a beautiful mural facing in the direction of the garden, we were left in awe. We later came to be told that the center offers plots of land at the garden for residents, and that some of the produce is sold to markets and/or given for free to fight food insecurity. Eager to interview a resident, we headed back into the building and found three older adults eating lunch at the community center’s main space. They explained that they were partaking in the center’s “senior lunch hour” in which seniors receive a free meal for the day. After explaining our group’s assignment, they enthusiastically began to give details to their lives as community residents. One of them drew comparisons of their city and the city of Beverly Hills- stating that there were stark differences between the two in terms of cleanliness, resources, opportunity, and crime rates. They agreed, however, that the Bayside Community Center offered a lot for their residents, and did much to enrichen their lives.
Our group then had the opportunity to speak to the director of the Center, and with charm, passion, and eloquence, explain the importance the Center held for many of its residents. He explained that the centers offers tools to fight insecurity, and that many in the local community fall below the national poverty level. Emphasizing the diversity that the city currently holds, he also explained his fear of possible gentrification. Our conversation lasted about 45 minutes, and as a group, we had the privilege of learning a lot within our time frame that day. We left with a resolute sense of appreciation for the power community-building can have for everyday people.