Alumni Update: Where are they now?
Name: Kirsten H. Jensen
Degree(s) Received: MSG, MPA '95
Job title: Director of Aging and Multigenerational Strategies
Company: Lutheran Services in America
Location (city and state): Baltimore, MD
Please briefly describe your position and your company:
This is a new position for LSA. I am the point person for program development in aging services across generations. I work with senior management to develop principles that drive Lutheran social ministry work in aging services and develop and refine strategies for Lutheran aging service providers across the country. Furthermore, I will work to develop avenues for providers to learn best practices from one another and explore the ability for these practices to be replicated.
Why did you choose to study gerontology at the USC Davis School?
At the time, I was working in retiree health benefits for a large corporation. I found that I really enjoyed working with the retirees. In retrospect, this was probably because I have such a solid relationship with my own grandparents.
How did you learn about your current position? Was it through an internship, a previous job, or a connection through USC?
I learned about it via a job announcement passed onto me through a health care colleague. I learned about this position through my husband who also works in the health care field.
Please briefly describe how the USC Davis School’s curriculum helped prepare you for your current position.
The Davis School curriculum required me to learn how to absorb a tremendous amount of information, analyze it, and make it meaningful to a specific audience. Furthermore, the breadth and depth of the program provided a framework for being well versed in the issues of aging policy and thus, gave me a solid launching point for my career. Adding career experience to that base, has helped me gain an even greater understanding of the myriad of issues in the field.
What advice would you offer to a prospective student interested in studying gerontology at USC?
If you want to be challenged and broaden your perspective about the world, a gerontology degree will open your eyes to the complexity of aging. In addition, the flexibility of completing dual degrees allows a student to view aging through an additional lens. The professors are available for you and will provide opportunities to push yourself academically. For example, my thesis was published in a book about long-term care financing due to the urging and continued support of a gerontology professor. So, at about 25 years old, I could say that I was a published author.
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