Life History Evaluating a Senior Interview

Joyce is a 68 year-old woman who was born in British Columbia, Canada but moved to the United States with her family when she was sixteen years old. An engineer, Joyce has lived in seven different countries while on contract for her work. She is currently settled in Ashville, North Carolina where she is semi-retired. Joyce says that she still does consulting work as an engineer but that she is trying to “phase out” of a high-pressure lifestyle and ease her way into what she calls the “Third Act” of her life. Joyce does not like the term “golden years,” as she believes it connotes old age. She considers herself young and healthy, and stays active by hiking and doing yoga.
Because of her job, her being a dual citizen, and her lack of interest in politics, Joyce claims that she has remained relatively detached from what is going on in the United States. Significant historical events that have impacted her life included 9/11, which she claims had a huge impact on almost everything she can think of, changing the ways the companies she contracts for do business around the world. She preferred not to get into the details too much but said that the business environment around the world had become almost hostile to American firms, and that this was opening the way for firms in other countries to step in. She said that American policies have shifted in ways that may hurt engineers and scientists in the future, and that she hopes things will change.
Joyce is willing to comment on what it was like to be one of the few females in her field. She states that when she first graduated from Stanford and became a full-fledged engineer, she saw only a few female faces among her peers. When she traveled to other countries, she saw even fewer. Joyce claims that she notices more women in the field of structural engineering, but that most of the women who go into engineering are drawn to different aspects of the profession. Joyce has spoken at conferences, and once delivered an address on women in STEM. She feels passionately about helping more young girls consider STEM careers, and has been working with the state’s department of education. Although she is not interested in a public speaking career per se, Joyce says that she is willing to do her part in promoting women in science careers.
As an engineer, Joyce has made a good living and states that she has no financial fears for the future. However, Joyce understands that one purpose of this interview is to learn about how seniors may be struggling. She states that her sister, who still lives in Canada, has a totally different outlook on life. The choices her sister made were different from hers, leading her to be in a much less secure financial situation. Joyce has taken her sister on vacation once or twice but has been reluctant to send her sister money because she feels that it would set a bad precedent and lead her to keep asking for more. Also, Joyce claims that her sister is not as active as she is and has recently been diagnosed with diabetes.
Joyce believes that the toughest part of aging is losing your friends. She has already lost two good friends and fears losing more, as well as losing her sister. Joyce also noted that staying active, mentally and physically, have strengthened her resilience. Although her body has aches and pains she wishes were not there, she generally does not mind growing older because she likes the peace of mind she has been experiencing. She accepts that she might not always feel as good as she does now, and wants to enjoy life to the fullest while she can.
Joyce has two sons, one of whom also lives in Ashville and the other in California. From her son in California she has one grandson, who was born with a rare congenital disorder. Family is important to her but she is not a sentimental person. During the interview, she did not ask if I wanted to see photos of her family and there were no pictures on the wall of her home. Joyce has a strong sense of inner peace, but her story does show that people who are financially secure may not struggle the same way as elders who do struggle to make ends meet.



References
M., Joyce (2018). [Interview].