Gemma Wang

• Founder and President of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to bridging generational divides by bringing high school students and older adults together.
• To date: reached 150+ residents and 50+ students
• Created a ten-week-long music and activities program that utilized piano and violin performances to connect nursing home residents.
• Wrote and delivered the scripts for each week's activity as the team leader and primary facilitator.
• Coordinated weekly logistics with the director of programming for the nursing home.
• Practiced and performed piano pieces on which activities were based.
• Work and success featured in WIT Magazine, GirlTalkHQ, and the University of California, San Francisco, Edgerunners Podcast.
• Created organization's mission and vision statements for use by employees: tackling loneliness and social isolation among older adults, leveraging musical therapy for cognitive and emotional gains, and bridging the divide between older and younger generations.
  

• Selected to present among 4,500+ researchers and policymakers on The Melody Project, a youth-led, community-based intervention designed to reduce loneliness and support cognitive engagement among older adults.
• Delivered a scientific poster detailing the development, structure, and implementation of the program, including curriculum design, intergenerational activity models, and engagement outcomes across multiple assisted living facilities.
• Analyzed the broader policy implications of scalable social-connection programs, highlighting the need for preventive, community-grounded approaches in U.S. aging policy.
• Collaborated with postdoctoral mentors to strengthen research framing and evaluation methodology.
• First author of a complementary abstract accepted for publication in Innovation in Aging (Oxford University Press).
• Engaged with GSA scholars through Interest Groups focused on Generativity, Intergenerational Engagement, Loneliness & Social Isolation, Reminiscence, and Brain/Neuroscience.

• One of the youngest (and only high school) writers for the American Society on Aging's Generations Now Publication.
• Writing about the importance of social interaction, intergenerational engagement, and evidence-based policy in holistically addressing the aging crisis and creating a more equitable system for aging.
• Helped increase youth visibility and access to a platform disseminating information, opinions, and the latest research on aging and aging policy

(Forthcoming participation)

• Selected as my school's delegate to a national conference convening student leaders to hone skills in constructive disagreement, deliberative discussion, and public policy and service.
• Will attend the conference at the end of January, 2026.

• Selected and trained as a deliberation lab facilitator, practicing and disseminating deliberative discussion across the school.
• Focus on teaching others how to creating spaces for curiosity-driven discussion across differences.

• Helps organize events and fundraisers supporting female empowerment initiatives, including guest speakers.
• Helped facilitate and organize a bake sale that raised $750 for Inspiring Girls USA, providing leadership and educational resources for young women.
• Collaborated with co-presidents to provide female empowerment and community engagement opportunities to club members.

• Selected as managing editor of a magazine featured by UChicago Creative Writing
• Oversaw compliance with style guide, editorial guidelines, and brand identity throughout the entire publication portfolio.
• Conducted editorial meetings with staff members to collaborate and review proposed publication suggestions.
• Managed approximately 15 publications and works per month; consistently communicated with staff writers and the editor-in-chief