Hello friends

In the last month, LBFE has said goodbye to our two 2016-2017 volunteer program assistants from Germany, Imke and Jasmin. It’s always hard to say goodbye, but also so exciting because both volunteers are off to begin new adventures in the world of higher education! Now, I’d like to introduce Juliette Cosson, one of our volunteer program assistants for the 2017-2018 year. Her partner, Simon, will arrive from Germany in just one month. Until Simon arrives, Juliette will have the opportunity to lead Tech Cafes, City Sites, and groups of volunteers from Brighton to Fenway to Dorchester! In her own words, I will allow her to introduce herself.

Juliette, pictured in Marseille

Juliette Cosson

Hi I’m Juliette and I’m 22 years old. I arrived in Boston from France and I’ll be working for Little Brother’s – Friends of the Elderly for one year as Volunteer Program Assistant (VPA). I decided to take a year off my studies to come to Boston. I am originally from Paris, but I study engineering (mostly environment and sustainable development) in Centrale Marseille.

My studies are really interesting, but I would rather work for NGOs or do social work after graduation. I already had a few experiences in that field and it was always something I loved doing. It is really rewarding. Plus, I am not some sort of genius that is going to change the world by doing math and physics or inventing the next magical cure for cancer. (I wish I was though.) I do know I can help making life easier for some people and that is something I think I could be good at.

In the past, I have worked with people with autism, people hit by cancer, youth, and homeless people, but never with elders. So, this is going to be new for me, and that is one of the reason I choose to work with Little Brothers. Another reason is that they would also give me the opportunity to live abroad, which I have been meaning to do for a while, I just never had the chance.

I am really excited to meet everyone, including the elders here. As I discovered in my first week, some of them have been living in the same buildings or neighborhoods for over 20 years, and I think listening to their stories about their town and how it changed are among my best memories so far.

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Pictured above: Sue, Juliette, Uri, and Debbie at a Tech Café in the Fenway.