The Conversation That Changed Everything

Nicole L, President of the Bayside High School chapter and winner of the GG Leader Award, reflects on why she started a GlamourGals chapter and how she’s going to continue to work towards ending elder isolation.

I first learned that loneliness has a language of its own in a nursing home in Queens Mrs. Gong, a 92-year-old resident, would smile politely at everything I said in English. But when I spoke to her in Chinese, her eyes lit up. She reached for my hand, and what had been a one-sided interaction quickly became a conversation.

That moment pushed me to found the Bayside High School GlamourGals chapter in November 2023. What started as a small idea grew into one of the largest clubs in our school, connecting students with seniors through regular nursing home visits. Near the end of one visit, Mrs. Gong took my hand, brought it to her lips, and told me to keep going. She didn’t need to say anything else.

Her words continue to remind me that the smallest conversations can have the greatest impact.