Community-Based Work-Study Program Maintains Connections with Retirement Community

The pandemic hasn’t prevented Oberlin College’s Community-Based Work-Study Program from working with Kendal residents. While Kendal is not currently allowing outside guests to physically enter the community, the student workers found a way to connect with residents online via Zoom.

Michele Tartisano-Amato, the director of creative arts therapy at Kendal, acts as a liaison to all of the student workers. She explains that many students felt apprehensive about the future of the program at the start of the semester. 

“When COVID-19 happened, our work-study students were saying, ‘Wait a minute, we can’t come in anymore. How are we going to do the program, and how are we going to earn our work study hours?’ We quickly met on a Zoom call and began the discussion about converting to a virtual platform.”

While transitioning to a virtual platform was challenging at first, it eventually opened new doors to the outside community. At the beginning of the semester, the student group held weekly meetings to troubleshoot technology problems. They also offered technology classes for Kendal residents. When things began to run smoothly for the residents at Kendal, Tartisano-Amato decided to expand the program and open up the online classes to other retirement communities.

In addition to adjusting to changes during the semester, the student workers managed to offer an extensive amount of classes and events to Kendal residents during the semester. They taught classes in Spanish, German, food science, musical theater, yoga, and events in world news, as well as hosted a spelling bee club and various musical performances. 

First-year Alissa Leon became involved with the Bonner Center for the first time this fall and taught yoga and meditation at Kendal.

“When I was looking for service opportunities, the online Bonner Center service was extremely helpful. I realized I could fulfill my federal work study and community service requirements within the same organization. When I saw Kendal was looking for members to create programs, I just sent an email and hoped they would take me on—and they did!”

Golara Malaki, a third-year, is passionate about issues related to accessibility for the elderly. During their second year at Oberlin, they began training to volunteer at Kendal and teaching a course on food science.

“To be a part of a lifelong learning community is a tremendous honor,” Malaki says. “No matter an individual's age or skill level, there's always more to learn about the world.”

Tartisano-Amato is proud of what the student workers have accomplished this semester and looks forward to working with them in the future.

“One of my interests is mentoring students to become the future leaders in my field and getting them excited about working with older folks. I’ve been so pleased with the quality of the students’ work this year. It’s just been amazing.”