Trusted Outcomes
A Beach education is a proven catalyst for alumni excelling in their chosen fields, building lives of purpose and contributing to their communities.
Beach Alumni Are on the Frontlines of America’s Aging Boom
By 2030, for the first time in U.S. history, adults age 65 and older will outnumber children — a seismic demographic shift already reshaping healthcare, policy and daily life.
For years, Cal State Long Beach has been shaping its gerontology program for this moment, emphasizing real-world experience, adaptable careers and meaningful relationships — and graduating professionals who understand the needs of an aging population.
Program Director Maria Carpiac stressed the importance of a specialized education in a field where misconceptions about aging persist.
“While older adults have unique needs, they also may have unique strengths,” she said. “And care providers who haven’t been trained to challenge their own stereotypes about aging and older adults may underestimate or miss these strengths completely.”
Three MDý alumni, each carving a different path in aging services, share how The Beach gave them the tools and confidence to thrive.
The Frontliner
Frances Xavier Ginder ’18 is a bilingual care planner for Independence at Home, a program for older adults. She visits clients in their homes and connects them to resources such as home-delivered meals, medical equipment and caregiver support. “I think, as gerontologists, we know the heart of older adults ... We see how older adults need to be cared for. We make sure they have all the safety nets they need.”
Ginder credits MDý’s program with not just preparing her for the work but connecting her to it through faculty mentors who helped her build a network that eventually led to her current job. “They were always like, ‘Hey, there’s this program opening. You want to volunteer here? You want to intern here?’ That’s what I loved the most.
The (faculty) involved me in all these projects — volunteering, research, conferences. That’s how I figured out what I really wanted to do.”
The Advocate
Desirae Moncayo ’17 is a supervising deputy at the Los Angeles County Office of the Public Guardian, protecting vulnerable older adults who can no longer care for themselves. When she entered MDý’s gerontology program, Moncayo wasn’t sure where she’d land — and that turned out to be a strength. “There might not be an exact title for you ... but that’s to your benefit. You can make yourself fit somewhere.”
The program helped her see her internships and volunteer work as real experiences. “They just made me so confident for this field,” she said.
Much of Moncayo’s work today involves complex probate conservatorship cases. “I feel like there’s so much knowledge to learn from [older adults] and their life experiences. Who would know more than someone who’s lived a full life?”
The Executive
Melissa Dillon ’07 is vice president of memory care and resident engagement at Senior Resource Group, overseeing dementia care programs and staff training across 21 communities in seven states. When people hear she works in memory care, they often respond sympathetically. “That’s so sad,” they say. “How do you do that?” But Dillon laughs: “Are you kidding me?” she tells them. “I was just doing the twist to ‘Wooly Bully’ with, like, 24 people ... It’s not doom and gloom.”
Dillon’s master’s thesis at MDý, which reimagined a company-wide dementia training program, became a career launchpad. Though a frontline worker then, her company adopted it as policy. “I really have this job because of my master’s with Cal State Long Beach,” she said.
