As a volunteer at a local Alzheimer's nursing home, I met individuals whose memories were slowly fading but whose need for connection and conversation remained just as strong. Every conversation, every smile, and every visit showed me that even the smallest moments of kindness and conversation could make a meaningful difference. Those experiences completely changed my perspective and inspired me to learn more about Alzheimer's disease.
While volunteering at the beginning of my junior year of high school introduced me to the human side of Alzheimer's disease, my motivation for research developed through another unexpected opportunity. I remember talking to one of the residents about my new school's Chemistry Experiment Club. She smiled and said, "Why don't you bring them here?" At first, I didn't think much of it. It simply sounded like a fun opportunity to share science with the residents.
Soon, our Chemistry Experiment Club began visiting the nursing home to conduct hands-on science experiments, such as elephant's toothpaste, lava lamps, and bouncy balls, with the residents. While leading the initiative, I noticed that some residents actively participated in conversations and experiments, while others struggled with memory, communication, or engagement. Seeing those differences made me curious about the disease affecting so many of the people I had come to know.
Around the same time, I had joined the Genes In Diseases & Symptoms (GIDAS) Club, the high school research branch of the miRcore organization, at my school.The annual theme for the research projects happened to be neurodegenerative diseases. Rather than choosing a topic at random, I chose one that I already had experience in: Alzheimer's Disease.
This research project became my introduction to Alzheimer's research. I immersed myself in neuroscience and bioinformatics, exploring the molecular mechanisms behind Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD). Using publicly available gene expression datasets, I investigated the biological pathways involved in disease progression and identified the synaptic vesicle cycle pathway as one of the most significantly disrupted pathways. I was able to connect the people I had met at the nursing home with the science happening at the molecular level.
What started as a simple conversation with one resident eventually led me to found Moments That Matter at my school, an organization dedicated to advancing Alzheimer's awareness, education, advocacy, research, and meaningful human connection.
Since then, I've had the privilege of growing our community, leading outreach initiatives, collaborating with volunteers, and educating hundreds of individuals about Alzheimer's disease. Every project has been driven by the same goal: conversation is the first and the biggest step toward understanding, connecting, and changing.
Most recently, the summer before college, I had the incredible opportunity to spend the summer as a Summer Educational Assignee at the Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Research Care Center at the University of Chicago under Dr. Emily Rogalski. Over four weeks I was embedded across every domain of the SuperAging Research Initiative, working in the Cerebrovascular Disease and Aging Biospecimens Laboratory, attending brain cutting sessions with Dr. Peter Pytel and Dr. Liana Kozanno, observing neuropsychological assessments, shadowing two-year follow-up participant visits with IRB approval, and assisting with community outreach and equity-focused recruitment. This experience transformed how I think about Alzheimer's disease research, from the community relationships that make longitudinal studies possible to the neuropathological science that gives those studies meaning.
Looking back, it's incredible to think that this entire journey began with a simple conversation in a nursing home. As the Founder & Executive Director of Moments That Matter, I remain committed to expanding our impact, advancing Alzheimer's research and education, and ensuring that every conversation, evry interaction, and every moment matters.
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