Meet Miranda Pearson

Growing up as an only child for me meant spending a lot of time with my grandparents, while my parents were at work. That meant spending countless hours being everything from grandma’s baking helper and poker prodigy, to being grandpa’s honey taster when we checked on his honeybees and being his tomato planter in his garden every spring.

Knowing firsthand the benefits of intergenerational connections, I’m enjoying the projects I’m working on as a summer intern at Generations United. Those duties include working with the staff on planning Generations United’s upcoming Global Intergenerational Conference. I look forward to analyzing data collected from our survey to attendees.

I’m also researching intergenerational housing models such as those that allow graduate college students to live with older adults. Additionally, I attend hill briefing and legislative meetings on issues related to grandfamilies, or grandparents and other relatives raising children.

My experience at Generations United will make me a stronger advocate for older adults, which is one of my goals as a graduate social work student at the University of Michigan. That passion is driven by my close relationship with both sets of grandparents.

I eventually became a caregiver for my paternal grandfather in his last few months of life. That time made me wonder about older adults who don’t have grandchildren or are isolated from their families. How challenging it must be for them to access the in-home services I was able to provide for my grandfather.

That’s why, as a Generations United intern, I’m building my skills that will allow me to evaluate programs efficiently and write policies that will benefit all ages.