My name is Chancellor Johnson. I am a junior (soon to be senior) social work major at Longwood University. I began my journey with the hope that I would help people with criminal records reintegrate with society. While this is still one of my primary goals, I have developed more over time. While studying at Longwood, I began to realize that older adults are an undervalued group in the United States.

I have spent the last four months as an intern at Centra PACE, a program for older adults that intends to improve their quality of life. It was here where my thoughts about older adults were confirmed. They have so much to offer society, yet this group is often given little consideration. I learned so many fascinating stories from the participants at PACE. It was equally refreshing and saddening that the participants were so receptive to me communicating with them. It made me wonder how difficult it is for some of them to connect with others outside of PACE.

While my journey at Longwood has been incredible, the end is coming closer every day. While it will be hard to say goodbye to Longwood next year, I am grateful for the experiences I have had as a student. That said, my time with Longwood is not over yet; I have two semesters left, and I plan to take advantage of every moment I have left.