Last Thursday I completed my final day at The Village at Rockville (TVAR), packed my bags and traveled back to the Midwest. As hard as it was to leave Washington DC, I had always known there would be an end to this summer opportunity. In my short stint of twenty-one years of life, it seems as though there is always a beginning and an end. Within a year I will finish my undergraduate degree at Valparaiso University and take part in an entire new beginning. When I reflect on my summer experience, my time at TVAR was not defined by the beginning or the end but rather by continuous movement of time between those two points. My time at TVAR was like a train, whatever I tried to do, time was always moving towards the finish line. My summer was defined by many small successes and failures that compose my […]

The magnitude of an adventure can mask the small personal areas of growth and discovery. As I embark on my 10 week fellowship at National Lutheran Communities and Services (NLCS) I realize the scope of experiences, new acquaintances, and potential the fellowship offers. I am spending my summer working at the Village at Rockville (TVAR), a National Lutheran Community located thirty minutes out of DC in Rockville Maryland. TVAR is a continuing care retirement community offering assisted and independent living, memory care, and short term rehabilitation. My time is split between several long term projects. One of my main objectives focuses on the development of a clinic expansion project at TVAR. Additionally, I work with the medical staff, including the Doctors and Nurses, to develop improved means of communication and documentation in the medical record keeping system. During my first two weeks, I have been introduced to many of the colleagues I […]