Daylen Ala, Northeastern ACES Student Volunteer
At Little Brothers- Friends of the Elderly, we have a Highlight of the Week series where we shine a spotlight on members of the LBFE community including board members, older adults, volunteers, students, staff, CitySites (and more!) to learn about them and their experiences with LBFE. This week’s highlight is of one of our year long Northeastern ACES student volunteers, Daylen Ala! Read below to learn more about Daylen:
“Hello, my name is Daylen Ala and I am from a small town in northern New Jersey! I am excited to work with Little Brothers Boston this year through Northeastern University’s civic engagement program, NU|ACES. Being in this program entails students to establish and build a relationship with a local community organization for a full academic year. Out of a diverse selection of organizations to work with, I finalized on choosing Little Brothers. As of right now, I have not regretted this decision and have highly enjoyed the time I have spent at Little Brothers.
At school, I’m currently enrolled in the Health Science major which promotes the health and well-being among individuals. Out of the entire world, I find that the elderly population is highly neglected, especially within the United States. My grandmother would always tell her children that if they were to throw her into a nursing home, she would come back and haunt them. We would always laugh about this comment, yet my aunt still has my grandma living with her. Outside of the United States, the idea of leaving the elderly in nursing homes is a foreign idea. In the country where I’m from (Cuba), we take care of them until it is time for them to depart from the world. Therefore, when I heard that the elderly are one of the most isolated and depressed individuals, I knew I had to take action.
Having volunteered at a hospital during high school, I was able to work with a large demographic. No matter the race, age, or gender, I always treated everyone with the highest of respect and was kind. I didn’t expect praise from my work as I simply enjoy the feeling of helping people; however, it was always the elderly that would show their gratitude by simply offering a caramel or saying “Thank you.” When I told my friends that I would be volunteering at Little Brothers and what the program consisted of, their immediate responses were, “Ew, old people.” I still can not figure out this negative outlook on them.
Being an immigrant, it’s only my mother, sister, and I in this vast country. I did not get the opportunity to have the big family that everyone around me seems to have. Having this disconnection from my own family back in Cuba, I would always yearn for the wise advice and comfort feeling by my grandparents. We call each other on the phone once a week, but it is nowhere near the feeling of an actual presence. Therefore, I cannot comprehend the idea that people are unwilling to interact with their older family members here. Taking on the role as a volunteer at Little Brothers, I will be sure to bring in the feeling of comfort and creativity. The amount that a person can learn from an individual who has had years of experience is vast. All it takes is a little bit of opening up.”
Don’t forget to check out next week’s blog to see who will be highlighted then!
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