Jennifer Liu connects with her parents’ joyful past

Enter the Brown Family House in Brookline, and you will be greeted by a dazzling smile, courtesy of Jennifer Liu. A front desk volunteer, Jennifer’s connection to 2Life was established before she was even born. 

“When my parents immigrated to the United States from China to attend graduate school in the early 1980s, they were hired as resident service representatives in Brighton for Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly, which is now 2Life Communities,” Jennifer explains. “That experience was a big part of their lives, and my older sister was born during that time.” 

The family eventually moved to Texas, which is where Jennifer was born and raised. She grew up hearing stories about her parents’ fond memories of their time at 2Life and, as luck would have it, Jennifer eventually made her own way to Boston to study at Harvard Law School. 

Now in her final year of school, Jennifer says her parents came to Boston to visit her and decided to stop by the 2Life campus in Brighton, where it all started. “We showed up unannounced and just walked around the campus. It was really great,” Jennifer recalls, noting that the experience gave her an idea. 

“This past winter I decided to see if 2Life had any volunteer positions. I thought it would be a great way to get a small taste of what my parents did here while also giving back a little bit.” 

Jennifer says interacting with the residents has been a positive experience and has opened her eyes to a potential area of career focus. “In our cases and discussions in law school, I think older adults are often overlooked. I’ve become aware of just how important older adults are and that we should not forget about them,” she says. 

"I think older adults are often overlooked. I’ve become aware of just how important older adults are and that we should not forget about them,” Jennifer Liu.

In fact, Jennifer mentioned her volunteer work at 2Life to one of her professors, who helped her make a connection with the Global Initiative on Ageing which is working to support the goals set by United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing initiative. “My 2Life experience has opened up opportunities to have discussions with people and is opening up potential channels for working with this population,” 

Jennifer says. Career plans aside, Jennifer says creating connections with 2Life residents has been the greatest reward. As an example, she points to an experience breaking the ice with a Polish-speaking resident. “I learned a few simple phrases and greeted him in Polish one day. That started a conversation where we both shared our stories of how we came to Boston. It made my week.” 

As Jennifer prepares for the next chapter in her professional life, she now has a firsthand understanding of her parents’ attachment to 2Life. “My parents are so grateful for the time they spent here. My father said without that experience, he doesn’t know what his life would look like.”