Pratheek Hegde, 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 Northeastern ACES student volunteers, Pratheek Hedge! Read below to learn more about Prat:
“My name is Pratheek Hegde, and I am an 18 year old Physics and Mechanical Engineering major in my freshman year at Northeastern University. This is my first year working with Little Brothers- Friends of the Elderly, and I am volunteering through the new NU ACES program at Northeastern. I was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, and grew up about thirty minutes outside of Boston in Acton, Massachusetts, where I have lived my entire life. I love to play basketball and ski, and my favorite part of living in the Northeast is the wintertime.
I chose to join LBFE because I really enjoy coming up with ideas for new activities and conversation topics, along with talking to the elderly and hearing about their experiences. I have a lot of experience with community work, but I have never worked with the elderly, so I think that LBFE will be a new and eye-opening experience for me. I hope to bring a positive attitude to each LBFE Citysite, and I hope to become friends with many of the elders at the Citysites. I excel at brainstorming and organizing new and different types of activities, which I hope to employ at the Citysites. I want to talk to elders and volunteers with different life stories and viewpoints than me, so that I can better understand the beliefs of other people. In today’s climate, I believe that it is important to be able to connect with all kinds of people, regardless of their life experiences or outlooks.
I work with LBFE through the NU ACES program at Northeastern University, which stands for “Northeastern University Alliance of Civically Engaged Students.” ACES pairs students with a yearlong community partner, allowing students to travel around the city of Boston and help out where they are needed. ACES is a relatively new program, but the Center of Community Service at Northeastern has provided students opportunities to serve the community for much longer.”
Don’t forget to check out next week’s blog to see who will be highlighted then!
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