Spanish-Speaking Seniors Connect With St. Luke’s Students

On Tuesday morning, Mrs. Meatto’s US Spanish V students arrived for their final visit at Waveny senior adult day program as part of their project to interview native Spanish-speaking seniors about their life histories.

Through a series of conversations in Spanish, our students not only worked on their world language skills but also heard wonderful stories from the seniors they interviewed. At this final visit, each student presented a monologue written in the voice of their senior “partner.” With members of the Waveny community gathered, each St. Luke’s student shared a first-person account of their senior partner’s life experiences and immigration from their native country. The Waveny seniors came from various countries across Latin America. St. Luke’s teacher Carrie Meatto or a Spanish V student offered English translations to the group.

The beautifully-written stories featured moving accounts of the seniors’ personal histories. Several people commented on how glad they were to learn new things about their fellow program participants. A native Spanish-speaking Waveny staff member commented that the St. Luke’s students’ Spanish writing and expression was “college-level.”

This culminating activity was made possible through the coordination of the Waveny daycare program director, their volunteer coordinator, St. Luke’s Center for Leadership. and, most importantly, Carrie Meatto, whose vision for theis program did much more than just improve language skills—it created sincere empathy and sweet friendships.

Meatto shared these reflections from a few of the participating students:

Maddy Sead ‘19
"Yo aprendí mucho de Mariluz. Ella me enseñó la importancia de la creación de recuerdos con la familia y amigos. Yo aprendí esta lección porque, en este memento en mi vida, ¡yo quiero crear muchos recuerdos con las personas importantes en mi vida antes de que vaya a la universidad! ¡Yo estoy muy agradecida por esta oportunidad y muy emocionada y feliz por tener una nueva amiga!"
"I learned a lot from Mariluz. She taught me the importance of creating memories with family and friends. I learned this lesson because, at this time in my life, I want to create many memories with the important people in my life before I go to college! I'm very thankful for this opportunity and very excited and happy to have a new friend!"

Jack Neafsey '19
"Pienso que este proyecto fue muy especial porque podíamos hacer nuevas conexiones con nuevos amigos."
"I think this project was very special because we made new connections with new friends."

Michael Thompson '20
"Aprendí que es muy importante ver la vida positivamente. Aprendí a ser una persona positiva. Lo aprendía a través de mis conversaciones con Ángel y sus historias. En un mundo con mucho odio y personas enojadas, es muy importante que vea el lado bueno de la vida y el vaso medio lleno."
"I learned it's very important to see life positively. I learned to be a positive person. I learned this through my conversations with Angel and his stories. In a world with a lot of hate and angry people, it's important I see the good side of life and the glass half full."