Messiah Lifeways’ New Students in Residence Fellowship Offers Intergenerational Opportunity to Messiah University Student
By Messiah Lifeways
June 7, 2023
MECHANICSBURG, Pa — Earlier this year, Messiah Lifeways announced a partnership with
Messiah University to provide opportunities for students to interact with our community. We are now
in the process of piloting a Messiah Lifeways Students in Residence Fellowship in partnership with
Messiah University.
The inaugural/pilot fellow is Kelly Anderson, an upcoming junior at Messiah University, who is
majoring in nursing. Kelly is living on campus with a Messiah Village resident’s cottage through the
end of the summer.
Anderson, and future Messiah University students selected for this Fellowship, will have the
opportunity to learn new professional skills and experience life on a senior living campus by living
and working at Messiah Village. This experience will also earn her college credit.
When Anderson, who often refers to herself as an old soul, learned of the Students-in-Residence
Fellowship opportunity, she was eager to apply.
“I want to look at life from a different perspective,” said Anderson, reflecting on what she wants to
take away from the Fellowship. “It’s interesting to experience this different lifestyle during the stage
of life I’m in. It’s so similar to college in some ways, but most residents’ time is filled with hobbies
and leisure.”
Messiah Lifeways’ hope is that this Fellowship will provide an immersive experience for students in
the fields of nursing, social work, gerontology, and more—providing a fruitful intergenerational
experience that is mutually beneficial to both organizations.
Anderson is excited to spend her summer in a way that few, if any, college students can say the same.
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“Most people my age are so focused on finishing college and finding a career that we don’t think
about what life looks like down the road,” she said. “But it’ll be cool to see and take part in that in
such an immersive way.”
Learn more about Kelly in the brief Q&A, here.
About Messiah Lifeways®: Founded in 1896, Messiah Lifeways is a non-profit organization
dedicated to serving older adults throughout South Central Pennsylvania. Messiah Lifeways of ers
resident communities, long-term care, rehabilitation, enrichment opportunities, and community
support services to support as many people as possible through the journey of aging. For more
information, visit MessiahLifeways.org.