5 College Freshmen on Coping with the Pandemic & Reaching Out to Seniors in Need

Author, Heather Furlow, who is the founder and editor behind Galbraith (hellogalbraith.com), interviews Glammy Scholarship Winners.

If this year was your senior year of high school (think: cracking open your brand new yearbook for your friends to sign, dancing at prom and throwing your cap in the air at graduation) and this is the summer before you head off to college (ahh, all that lays ahead!), well, things are looking a bit different than expected.

Yet these five incoming college freshman, all scholarship recipients at this year’s GlamourGals Glammy Awards, are making the most of an incredibly tough time: from focusing on their mental health to reaching out to senior citizens in need.

GlamourGals went digital for this year’s Glammy Awards, on Saturday, May 30. The New York City–based nonprofit encourages teens and college students to provide makeovers and manicures to the elderly in senior homes. The two generations form unique friendships and bonds in the process. These volunteers (in chapters all across the country) are part of a movement of young people who value giving back—and they see firsthand the effects of elder loneliness. 

Of course, senior homes have been hit especially hard during the pandemic—and in most cases, visitors aren’t allowed at all. It was one of the scholarship winners, Anna Haraka (pictured above delivering a letter to her friend Ellie in April), who helped GlamourGals pivot its curriculum with the creation of the #MyDearFriend letter-writing campaign, which has now safely delivered over 5,000 handwritten cards and letters to the elderly in senior homes across the U.S.

Here, five amazing young women who are changing their communities—and the world—for the better:

Alexandra Ramotar, 17

Long Island, NY

On how GlamourGals gave her perspective:

“Before joining, I didn’t realize how many seniors are in complete isolation. The first makeover is really imprinted in my brain because we went to the memory ward at my local senior home. Those seniors didn’t have a lot of, if any, visitors. I like to think that we brought them a sense of normalcy: getting their makeup done, getting their nails done. Being a part of GlamourGals helped me to be more compassionate and understanding of others. I always lived with my grandmother, so I never thought about how lonely it could be for seniors at times. My family is pretty big and we visit each other all the time. It just kind of clicked that some people don’t have that privilege to see family often. So it helped me to appreciate what I have.”

On learning to look at failure differently:

“I’ve always been such a perfectionist with my schoolwork. Eighth grade was the first time I failed a test and I cried about it for two days. Running for a leadership position in my GlamourGals chapter and not winning was another step in learning to fail and learning that that’s ok. And that you don’t need to be the best at everything. If you’re really passionate about something, it doesn’t matter if you’re president or secretary, it just matters that you’re passionate about it.” [Editor’s note: Alexandra eventually became the president of her chapter.]

What’s next for Alexandra:

“I’m going to Georgia Tech in the fall. I want to be an aerospace engineer. I don’t know exactly what I want to focus on yet, but I know I want to be in that branch: designing drones, planes or rockets, or even working in fuel propulsion.” 

Mikaela Benkert, 19

Bloomfield, NJ

On the importance of feeling validated and seen:

“When I was younger, I had a hearing issue but my hearing wasn’t affected enough for anyone to realize. My teachers thought I had a learning disability and they told my parents I was struggling a lot in school. On the inside, I was aware of what was going on, but I was confused and wasn’t able to articulate why I was struggling. When I was 8, in 3rd grade, doctors found that my ear drums were basically disintegrated. It was almost like I didn’t have ear drums. I went through six or seven surgeries and my doctors built me new ear drums. Afterward, everything changed in school and in social settings—as soon as my hearing improved, I really blossomed. When my doctors discovered what I was struggling with, it was like my parents and teachers really saw me and validated what I was going through. I think that GlamourGals does the same thing for senior citizens: validates them and shows them they’re still needed.”

On connecting with a special senior:

“There was a senior at every visit who didn’t usually have a lot of volunteers around her, so I thought, ‘Let me just sit over here today, she seems like she could talk to someone.’ I said ‘Hi,’ but she didn’t respond. So I was just talking to her, trying to show her attention and see if she would register me being there. Then ‘O Sole Mio,’ an Italian song, came on the radio and I could tell she was listening to it. A nurse was singing along and she was smiling at the nurse. So I said in Italian, ‘Are you Italian?’ And she grabbed my hand and kissed it and started tearing up. It was really nice to see that reaction from her because usually she’s not very responsive. When I was leaving I met her son briefly and he said, ‘You made her day.’ I realized she didn’t have interactions like that very often.”

What’s next for Mikaela:

“I’ve always said I wanted to work in healthcare, mostly because I felt so much better when we finally detected the problem with my hearing. I always wanted to be able to do that for someone else. I’m planning on attending Montclair State University and majoring in biology. I’m hoping to do this 7-year program they share with Rutgers University. GlamourGals showed me that working in healthcare is about so much more than figuring out math problems and memorizing anatomical structures, it’s really about sympathizing with people and being there for them.”

Aliya Masihuddin, 18

Queens, NY

On how persistence got a senior at her local nursing home to open up:

“One of the closest bonds I formed is with a woman named Norma. Although she’s often talkative and lively when I come to visit, that wasn’t always the case. Originally, she answered questions with one-word responses and focused on her nails. This quickly changed, as I showed her kindness and that I was always ready to listen. I still remember our second interaction when she said, ‘I can’t believe I haven’t scared you off!’ But there was no scaring me off. GlamourGals is about providing real and honest companionship, which I have stopped at nothing to give. Norma truly changed my outlook on our makeovers. She taught me the importance of empathy and the impact of a simple friendship. Seeing how she opened up to me truly illustrated how influential GlamourGals volunteers are. There are so many things I admire about Norma including her strength, compassion and hilarious sense of humor.”

On how she’s changed since she first joined GlamourGals:

”At my first makeover, I was terrified of making conversation and stepping out of my comfort zone. After going to almost every GG event and doing whatever I could to help my chapter, I became the vice president my sophomore year. This meant heading up the announcements at club meetings, inputting service hours and learning valuable public speaking skills, which I thought I could never do since I have a fear of public speaking. This past year, my senior year, I was president of the chapter. As the responsibilities associated with my position have grown (like scheduling nursing home visits, planning crafts for each meeting, ordering supplies, managing announcements and promoting our club), so have I. I went from being a reserved bookworm to an outgoing leader. My passion and comfort with helping the seniors confirmed my dream of becoming a physician. The level of empathy and creativity that GlamourGals has provided me with is something I will always treasure.”

What’s next for Aliya:

“I’m going to the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at The City College of New York for a combined BS/MD program. I’ll be earning my bachelor’s degree in science and my medical degree at the same time.” 

Emily Babilonia, 18

Staten Island, NY

On why GlamourGals is essential to her:

“GlamourGals opened me up to new opportunities and helped me become a better person. I worked hard [as the president of my chapter] to recruit more volunteers because I wanted more people to get involved with the movement and understand what elder isolation is. I think it’s something people don’t really pay attention to, but during the pandemic we all really got a glimpse of what isolation can feel like.”

On the biggest lesson she’s learned since the pandemic started: 

“Before COVID hit, I was feeling very doubtful of myself and scared to put myself out there and try new things. Now that I’m home, I try to push myself to do different activities. Even if I’m bad at it, I might as well give it a try. I get up each morning, get ready, repeat some positive affirmations and try to have a positive mindset. If I keep reminding myself to do that, I believe it and feel much better. Before, I was always running around, going to school or my job. Now I’m home and in my room or I go outside to do a workout. I take those moments for myself, even to talk to my friends and ask how they’re doing. I want to help other people who are feeling down or having shaky moments in this time, because it’s difficult.”

What’s next for Emily:

“I’m going to Purdue University in Indiana for engineering. I hopefully want to study chemical engineering. My goal is to get involved with the skincare and makeup industry in product development. I’m really into learning what’s in products and the effects the ingredients have on our hormones, our endocrine system and on the environment. You would never expect products to have those kinds of effects if they’re on the market. I love learning about that.”

Anna Haraka, 18

Bloomfield, NJ

On pioneering the #MyDearFriend campaign:

“School closed on Friday, March 13th, and we had a senior home visit scheduled for the next day, so we had to cancel that. That day, right when school was out, it was on my mind: ‘This is bad. Nursing homes are going to be closed for a long time.’ My mom and I were both sitting there talking about it and we started crying. We felt like it was going to be long-term. I made a post on our chapter’s Instagram saying, ‘We need to do something, what does everyone think?’ I got 10 different comments that were like, ‘Letters!’ I emailed Amanda [from the GG team] and told her our plan. She said they were thinking letters would be the best way to reach seniors, too. So the plan was the girls in my chapter would leave letters in their mailbox, seal it in a bag and use gloves. Then I went around with my family wearing gloves and a mask to over 40 different houses to pick them up. Soon people from our community wanted to be a part of it. It just blew up. I never anticipated that it would become a national campaign.” [Editor’s note: Anna delivered 180 letters from her community to her local senior home between April and July, as well as snacks, care packages, roses, notes and meals for the staff.]

On the amazing connections she and her fellow volunteers have made:

“I think a big piece that’s missing in so many people’s lives is intergenerational relationships. The fact that 60% of seniors live in isolation and don’t get visitors—that blew my mind. We one day might need someone to visit us. And our family members might need someone to visit them. GlamourGals is so special to me because it connected me to a whole other group of people that I never knew were right next door. Our nursing home is right down the street from our high school and none of us ever crossed paths before. Meeting the seniors there really changed me and it changed the girls in my chapter. One volunteer, Katelyn, was very stressed about college. She was talking to a senior, doing her nails and telling her about her college process and how scared she was. Katelyn was thinking about going to Arizona State for college. The lady sitting there in the nursing home, who knew that the nursing home was the last step of her journey, was like, ‘Go across the country, this is what you have to do.’ She said, ‘Coming from me now, look at where I am and where you are: You have all of this space to go.’ And then Katelyn moved across the country. That moment changed her. Hearing it from someone who has lived the mistakes, lived the successes, that’s really what those connections bring you. That knowledge. You walk into the nursing home and it’s full of knowledge. You can only get so much every time you go.”

What’s next for Anna: 

“I’m going to Cornell in the fall and majoring in applied economics in management. I’m thinking about doing a concentration in strategy and international trade and development. And I’m going to minor in leadership for sure. I also really want to try and have some fun! I feel like I spent all of high school getting involved in this and getting involved in that. The pandemic showed me you don’t have to do everything. There’s so much time in the day that you can take some time for yourself. I want to go to college with an open heart, open mind and really just go with the flow for the summer.”