My foray into the intergenerational world was spawned from the loss of my grandfathers at a young age. It stayed with me for years that I never had the foresight to ask them all the important questions I wish I had.
This sense of deep loss and frustration led me to launch a passion project, what I termed, The Legacy Project, in high school, to learn the stories of older adults in my hometown community in Massachusetts. What I did not realize at the time was how this initiative was going to forever change the trajectory of my career and outlook.
Over the years, The Legacy Project (TLP) expanded to become a chapter-based non-profit, now spanning nearly 75 campuses across 30 states, connecting generations through storytelling and published books. Our mission is to connect younger and older adults for multigenerational friendship and storytelling. We seek to combat social isolation and loneliness, document life stories through published books, and foster a future where age is no barrier to friendship.
Since the initial launch of my high school project, I have become deeply embedded in the intergenerational space, supporting the work and thought leadership of CoGenerate and Generations United, as well as speaking on these issues nationally. I have also completed my first year of law school, where I am pursuing a dual degree in law and policy. My focus has been on elder law as well as aging and disability policy, informed by my experience with my grandmother’s long-term care journey.
Arielle (far left) moderating a conversation at Changemakers in Aging x Gerontological Society of America 2025 Future of Aging Summit.
Throughout my academic studies and public advocacy, I have maintained a deep belief that moving the needle on issues pertaining to aging policy and elder justice requires a multi-generational lens as well as an age-diverse set of actors. And yet, when I first attended conferences convening aging experts and advocates, I could not help but feel alone as one of the very few young advocates in the room. Furthermore, I have long confronted (and still do) questionable looks from my peers when I say my career aspirations are to reform our systems supporting aging populations current and future, with many dismissing such work as “niche.” Nearly universally, that is the response I receive.
While emerging leaders in aging communities exist in geographic silos, what I felt was missing was a national community of interdisciplinary leaders looking to shape the field of aging. To bolster the community in this space, and make a career in gerontology more mainstream, I co-launched a group last year called Changemakers in Aging. We are a group of students and young professionals passionate about aging, seeking to unite undergraduate students, graduate students, and young professionals aspiring to be visionaries in the gerontology field through biomedical advances, policy reform, and social impact.
Since our launch in 2025, the outpouring of interest has been remarkable. We partnered with the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) to co-host a Future of Aging Summit at their Annual Scientific Conference, bringing together 100+ young leaders for a day-long convening in November of 2025. The event received such a positive response that we will be hosting a second annual summit, in partnership with GSA, with double the attendees this fall in National Harbor, MD. Through Changemakers in Aging, we also have expanded our efforts to surpass just an annual event, by expanding our leadership team, bringing together hundreds of interested individuals for a virtual kick-off, forming sub-committees, developing an intergenerational aging policy platform, and hosting local convenings across the country.
The next generation of aging leaders is already here, and Changemakers in Aging has built a platform and community for us to gather.
What we need now is for the gerontology field more broadly to recognize, invest in, and make space for us: not simply as future leaders, but as collaborative partners in shaping the future of the aging field today.
