Jennifer Slee pursues degrees in gerontology, social work

BGSU student Jennifer (Bruns) Slee has a goal in mind. The non-traditional student hopes to one day make a difference in the lives of people impacted by Alzheimer's, especially those in rural areas.

Because of a grandfather in rural Iowa who has Alzheimer's, Slee admits, “I have a special place in my heart for patients and caregivers who face this debilitating and heartbreaking disease.” She also is aware how complicated care can be for rural residents.

Her journey to majoring in social work and gerontology was partially impacted by the courses she has taken at BGSU. One of the first classes she took was Psycho-social Aspects of Aging. “I fell in love with the material,” thereby confirming her long-time enjoyment of working with older adults and her decision to major in gerontology. However, last spring, after a visit by a social worker during the Human Behaviors and the Social Environment II course, “I realized that I really did want to continue on with social work, as well.” Because majoring in both would only add one semester to her schedule, she decided she could have the best of both worlds and focus her career.

As she continues her coursework, Slee is putting her education and her interest to work as an office coordinator at Bridge Home Health and Hospice in Bowling Green. There she answers the phones, charts patient satisfaction statistics and helps with insurance.

She believes her work experience has paid off as much for school as her education has paid off for the job. She used the agency as the base for a grant-writing course, and a report that she had done for her cultural diversity and aging class was presented as an in-service for the hospice volunteers. “I also think my education has made me a better, more involved employee,” she added.