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USC Davis School Alumna Appointed to the City of Pasadena Senior Commission
Larissa Stepanians, M.S.G. ’98, plans to improve services to the Pasadena senior community and to develop a “talent bank” of elders to assist the city

By Whitney Fountas and Athan Bezaitis

USC Davis School alumna Larissa A. Stepanians was appointed to the City of Pasadena Senior Commission during swearing-in ceremonies at the Pasadena City Council meeting on Monday, July 23, 2007.

Stepanians received her Master of Science in Gerontology from the USC Davis School in 1998 and also completed a certification program in Administration of Long-term Care Programs from the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development.  Last year, she founded Huntington Home Care (HHC), which provides in-home assistance and services for elders in San Gabriel Valley, West LA and San Fernando Valley.

She hopes her appointment to the Senior Commission will expand her ability to serve the elder community in Pasadena.

“The Commission provides an avenue for me to provide services to our senior community and to develop and maintain a ‘talent bank’ of seniors from the community to assist the city in performing its functions,” she said. “I’d like to serve as a liaison between the Commission and seniors, to collect, organize and disseminate information concerning seniors, and coordinating services for them.”

At the Davis School, Stepanians was a fulltime staff member working with Professors Davies, Crimmins, Walsh and Wilber while completing the M.S.G. coursework.  Her primary responsibility was helping to prepare budgets for grants.

“Larissa was an integral part of the Davis School Community - a wonderful student and a valued staff member,” said Associate Dean Eileen Crimmins, Edna M. Jones Professor of Gerontology.

Stepanians fondly recalls recruiting for the Davis School, attending job fairs and sharing stories of her classes and papers with other curious students. 

“The connections are lifetime connections because you become part of the family,” she said.  “All gerontology students have a common bond with one-another.  I like keeping in touch with the people who have invested themselves in gero.”

She continues to encourage young people to pursue gerontology, recently founding www.gerojobs.com, a free service that encourages companies to post age-related jobs on the website and allows jobseekers to post resumes.  She warns that the site is still in its developmental stages but hopes that the service grows with increased awareness.

For more information on Huntington Home Care, please visit their website at www.huntingtonhomecare.com.

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“Larissa was an integral part of the Davis School Community - a wonderful student and a valued staff member,” said Associate Dean Eileen Crimmins, Edna M. Jones Professor of Gerontology.

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