Meet four CSULB grads serving on the frontlines of America’s aging boom
By 2030, for the first time in U.S. history, adults age 65 and older will outnumber children — a seismic demographic shift already reshaping healthcare, policy and daily life. From senior housing to state government, there’s growing demand for people who understand the unique needs of an aging population. For years, Cal State Long Beach has been shaping its gerontology program around this moment, with a focus on real-world experience, adaptable careers and meaningful relationships.
Maria Carpiac, director of the gerontology program, emphasized the growing need for specialized education — especially in a field where misconceptions about aging persist.
“While older adults have unique needs, they also may have unique strengths,” she said. “And care providers who haven't been trained to challenge their own stereotypes about aging and older adults may underestimate or miss these strengths completely."
We spoke with four CSULB alumni, each carving a different path in aging services, about how The Beach gave them the tools and confidence to thrive in a rapidly expanding field.
The Frontliner
Frances Xavier Ginder ’18 is a bilingual care planner for Independence at Home, a program for older adults. Based in Long Beach, she manages a large caseload, visiting clients in their homes and connecting them to resources — such as home-delivered meals, medical equipment and respite support for caregivers. "I think, as gerontologists, we know the heart of older adults ... We see how older adults need to be cared for. We make sure they have all the safety nets they need." Ginder credits CSULB’s program with not just preparing her for the work but connecting her to it. With support from faculty mentors, such as Carpiac, she built the network that eventually led to her current job. “They were always like, ‘Hey, there’s this program opening. You want to volunteer here? You want to intern here?’ That’s what I loved the most. The (faculty) involved me in all these projects — volunteering, research, conferences — that’s how I figured out what I really wanted to do.” Today, Frances brings vital support to older adults in her community — one home visit at a time.
The Advocate
Desirae Moncayo ’17 is a supervising deputy at the Los Angeles County Office of the Public Guardian, where she protects vulnerable older adults who can no longer care for themselves. When she entered CSULB’s gerontology program, Moncayo wasn’t sure exactly where she’d land — and that turned out to be a strength. “There might not be an exact title for you ... but that’s to your benefit. You can make yourself fit somewhere.” The program helped her see her internships and volunteer work as real experiences. They just made me so confident for this field.” Much of Moncayo’s work today involves complex probate conservatorship cases. “Sometimes we have so many cases there’s an unofficial waitlist,” she says. Even so, she remains deeply grounded in the value of the work. “I feel like there’s so much knowledge to learn from [older adults] and their life experiences. Who would know more than someone who’s lived a full life?”
Oftentimes, when they hear what I do, people say, 'That's so sad. How do you do that? ... I say, 'Are you kidding me? I was just doing the twist to "Wooly Bully" with like, 24 people.'
The Executive
Melissa Dillon ’07 is Vice President of Memory Care and Resident Engagement at Senior Resource Group, overseeing dementia care programs and staff training across 21 communities in seven states. “I love all of the older adults that are here ... I've met the coolest people.” Often, she says, when people hear she works in memory care, they respond sympathetically. "That's so sad," they say. "How do you do that?" But Dillon laughs: “Are you kidding me?" she tells them. "I was just doing the twist to ‘Wooly Bully’ with, like, 24 people.” Dillon’s master’s thesis at CSULB, which reimagined a company-wide dementia training program using evidence-based practices, became a career launchpad. She was only a frontline worker at the time, but her company adopted it as policy. “I really have this job because of my master’s with Cal State Long Beach,” she says. She knows demand for her work is only growing. “There is literally not enough housing for older adults built in America today — like period, full stop … My memory care portfolio is 90 percent occupied. Those people need someplace to live— which is a good business problem to have, but a horrible human problem.”
The Policy Shaper
Nakia Thierry ’14 is chief of the Older Adult Programs Branch at the California Department of Aging, overseeing the delivery of federally and state-funded programs — from Meals on Wheels to Title V senior employment. She loves the work, in part, because she knows it makes a difference. “You actually see the fruits of your labor," she says. “I had a client — a referral from the hospital for being homeless. Within a year they had every supportive service, nutrition service, everything.” CSULB’s gerontology program, she says, was instrumental in exposing her to the many career paths available in aging. “We had speakers, we had opportunities to go outside of the classroom ... to see the field in action.” Faculty mentors were “guiding forces” through the process, keeping her engaged through graduation and beyond. Despite the misconception that older adults are always in need of something tangible — food, medicine, transporation — Thierry says many seniors simply seek companionship or a sense of connection. It’s a reminder, she says, of the shared humanity at the heart of her work: "If we’re all lucky enough, being an older adult will be our future."
