The senior prom at the Gary and Mary West Center was a blast! Some of my favorite parts were the announcement of the prom king and queen, the raffle, and the goody bags. The king and queen who were crowned were adorable, and I loved being able to witness their first dance. I found it funny that the queen had directed the king on how to pose with her for the photographer. I had the chance to speak to Ms. Soriano, who was crowned prom queen, and she was so happy about the fact that she had won. She told me about how she had never been crowned queen before and that it has always been one of her dreams to win prom queen. She also talked to me about how she had had a blast during the dance and was so grateful that we had put the event together for all the seniors. I was really happy to know that we were able to give out so many prizes for the raffle. We were able to make sure that about a fourth of the attendees won prizes. They all looked so happy to win blankets, gift cards, tumblers, cups, and girl scout cookies. When I handed the goody bags to the seniors on their way out of the cafeteria, each senior was grateful that we were sending them home with another gift. It was amazing to see how thankful each person was. One of the men even kissed me on the forehead after he said thank you for his bag! The event was such a fun and humbling experience.
When I first moved to San Diego to begin college, I didn't take up the opportunity to go out and explore the community very much at all. There were a lot of factors that played a role into why, including struggling to transition into being a college student, not having access to a vehicle, and simply not knowing what was out there. I had no idea that San Diego was divided up into so many different communities that were drastically different from one another. Growing up, my family and I would drive down to Chula Vista once in a while to visit my uncle, but besides that, I never spent much more time in San Diego. It wasn't until later in my college career that I began to leave the bubble of living on campus to go visit attractions such as Balboa Park or Downtown San Diego. It was then that I grew to love this community and the unique qualities it offers. The reason as to why I chose to explore Golden Hill for my Neighborhood Assessment Project was to have the opportunity to visit a neighborhood I had yet to see. Prior to looking up the community and visiting it in person, I had no idea that it was located right next to Balboa Park and Downtown. It was an area that I drove by all the time but seemed to miss. I enjoyed having the chance to walk around and take in all the sights, especially the quality of the homes in the area. I have always been used to seeing neighborhoods that have fairly similar looking homes, but the historic homes in the community were beautiful to admire! I also liked how the neighborhood felt so homey in the sense that it didn't appear as if big industry had moved in, but everyone lived around small family businesses and within close proximity to one another.
The Healthy Aging Project at Casa de Manana was such a fun and humbling experience. It was exciting being able to set up all the decorations and preparing the photo booth for the elders to interact with. The ballroom in itself was a beautiful venue, and the red carpet in the entrance way topped it all off. I loved being able to see everyone's happy faces when they entered the room and how excited they all were for the evening. The live band was also an amazing aspect. I actually didn't realize that the band only consisted of two members because I heard so many different instruments that I assumed it had to be a whole group of individuals. I liked being exposed to music I had never heard before along with classic songs that the whole crowd loved. Additionally, I enjoyed being able to serve snacks and drinks to the elders and having the opportunity to speak with a few of them. They were all so friendly and thankful for our presence as well as for setting up the event for them. My favorite part by far was getting feedback from the elders and hearing how much they loved the dance and that they were having a blast. I am glad that we were able to give away so many raffle prizes that a good portion of the crowd went home with something, and those that didn't win had polaroids to hold onto. I feel as if we really pulled through as a class and put on an extremely successful event.
I am really excited to put on the Oscars-themed dance for the elders at Casa de Manana. I remember that back in middle school, I wanted to join our Associated Student Body organization because one of the fun activities they participated in was decorating, planning, and hosting school dances. Although I did not have the chance to participate in the organization and missed out on the opportunity to put on a dance, now I have the chance to do so for the Life Course Scholars Program. I feel as if we are adequately prepared at this point in time to put on the dance, and I cannot wait to see how it all turns out. I really hope the seniors enjoy the event as well as our company. I always love having a reason to get dressed up and go to a special event, so I am looking forward to the dance! Regarding our individual Healthy Aging Projects, I discussed Kyle's idea with him about offering a painting activity at Bayside Community Center and we came up with additional details that we may be able to apply to planning out the project. Since Bayside Community Center is such a big space with plenty of walls, we are considering putting up the seniors' art work on display for all to view. Additionally, we are considering hiring or having a voluntary art teacher come in, such as one who hosts the wine and painting classes, to provide step by step directions in case elders do not feel comfortable painting independently. Having an instructor would ensure that everyone has a quality-looking piece at the end of the activity. If we can get more of our classmates to join in on our project, we may also consider having a potting event with plants at Bayside Community Center as well.
|
Monique SimArchives
June 2018
Categories |