Covenant Village of Turlock is currently working with California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State) to get an internship program up and running for any students who are interested in gaining some experience and knowledge, as well as relationships with the elderly.
Covenant Village of Turlock is a large retirement community that houses many residents who are yearning for some student presence and knowledge. It offers many opportunities that students of all majors can really benefit and learn from.
Director of Resident Services Adele Barnard saw exactly how beneficial her workplace and the students’ presence around the residents would be, so she got the ball rolling.
“I really saw what our campus was missing and that was really holding hands with another human being of another age group of the cultural diversity,” Barnard said. “It’s just as important that our residents spend time with younger people as it is that younger people spend time with people that are older, and that’s a vision that I’ve had since I started here.”
Students can participant in certain areas of interest that are related to their majors at the community residence, such as shadowing nurses, training the residents at their gym and indoor pool, teaching classes to the residents in the lecture halls on any subject or even putting on a performance with the music choir. These types of opportunities allow students to gain some career experience to put on their resume, and it gives them insight on that type of field along with letting them build relationships with residents.
Students can also learn a lot in general just from speaking with the residents and vice versa.
“Our residents can learn from the students (…) benefitting both sides and partnering and giving back to one another,” Barnard said. “Often times we don’t learn a whole lot when we spend time with people our own age, but we spend time with people of diverse age groups, diverse cultures, and backgrounds, and they teach us things about life.” 
Barnard has been the leading force in this ongoing process to establish a relationship between Stan State and Covenant Village of Turlock. Although students cannot get internship credit at this moment, volunteering there still reaps great benefits.
“Personally for me, since I’m wanting to become a nurse, it is great to get an idea of what it is like,” Vivian Valadez (junior, Pre-Nursing) said. “Students can take an hour or two out the day and put a smile on the elders’ faces, and they can also come up with new ideas or bring their creativity during the activities.”
If you are interested in volunteering or shadowing an employee at the Covenant Village of Turlock, you may contact Adele Barnard at 226-2450 or [email protected].
You can also visit their website at www.covenantvillageofturlock.org.