Hello, my name is Sophie Lovejoy, I am from Seattle, WA, and am a sophomore at Boston College studying Philosophy and Communications with a possible minor in German! While I genuinely love my course material, when I am not studying, I enjoy long walks with my friends, watching movies, playing ping-pong, and chatting for hours on end with my roommates in our living room. I also play Women’s Club Basketball at BC and spend hours inside and outside of the gym with my close-knit team. Last year we placed second in the nation and will return for revenge this spring!
I chose to serve at LBFE because I want to make meaningful connections with older adults in my community. I am driven by the sociology class I took last semester that taught me about the social isolation and loneliness that older adults face, along with my close-knit relationship with my grandparents. While I cannot physically be there for my grandparents who live on the West Coast, I want to be there for other older adults in my new community that do not have the same support network my grandparents have. I love meeting people and socializing, so the fit with LBFE seemed perfect! I will bring my social skills, positive energy, and patience to every encounter, and in doing so, will encourage trust and bonding so that connections can be fostered immediately. I want to make the older adults feel appreciated and heard, and in doing so, learn from what they have to say. I hope the wisdom I accumulate from this experience will guide me as I figure out what I want to do professionally and shape me into a more empathetic, selfless, compassionate person.
The program that I am serving through Boston College is called PULSE. I am taking the PULSE elective class that requires 4 hours of service and one class per week. During class, we incorporate lessons from our hands-on service to philosophical texts centered around love, forgiveness, charity, and justice. This class is an especially unique experience because due to the service commitment and workload, I am the only person enrolled. It is just me and the teacher! I hope to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime experience and gain as much wisdom, direction, and life lessons as I can from my teacher, the texts, and my direct service.