Member Spotlight

Q&A with Ernest Gonzales, MSSW, Doctoral Student at Washington University from St. Louis, MO.

Q: How long have you been a member and how does GSA assist with your professional development?
A: I joined GSA in 2006 and still remember the energy and excitement I felt at my first meeting in San Francisco. I didn’t present at my first meeting but I did have to give the Hartford Faculty Advisors an update of the program—I was a MSW student at Columbia and also the Hartford Faculty Evaluator with Dr. Barbara Berkman. Since then, I’ve presented my work at this important venue every year and look forward to gain insight into the latest and greatest research. The excitement hasn’t diminished.

Q: How did you get interested in the field of aging?
A: My early life experience informed my interests in gerontology and social justice issues: having meaningful contact with my grandparents at an early age, having my family embed the value of “respect your elders,” caring for a friend’s mom that suffered from Alzheimer’s, volunteering and interning at nursing homes. All of these activities inspired me. But it was evident that the American dream and the opportunities of life were stratified by race, gender, education, health, and wealth. Women didn’t have as much opportunity. Neither did Hispanics. And if you had less than a high school education, job prospects were tough and the work appeared laborious. As such, I started out as an economics major in undergrad because I wanted to eliminate poverty and expand economic and social opportunities. But all of my classes were filled with peers that were interested in profits, while I was interested in people.  I soon dropped economics, picked up philosophy and sociology. It was closer to the target but not bull’s eye. It wasn’t until social work at Columbia that I was able to synthesize my interests of aging with social and economic disparities/opportunities. And now that I’m at Wash U, my dissertation is squarely focused on economic security and productive activities in later life.

Q: What are your key responsibilities at your school?
A: As a doctoral student my primary responsibility is to finish my dissertation. And I’m happily fulfilling that duty. I also teach, mentor, and work on a variety of research projects, and am engaged with community organizations.

Q: What is your most memorable patient experience?
A: It’s so easy to recall a ton of memorable experiences in this line of work. All of it is pretty exciting. But I think what’s most memorable is hearing about people’s lives. I run into a lot of older adults these days, both domestically and internationally, and in a variety of different contexts—at the airport, in swimming pools, dinners, meetings, mountaintops, you name it. I can’t tell you the number of people that share their lives with me. They inevitably talk about their working lives and retirement—it’s difficulties, triumphs, rewards. From mechanics to doctors, retired to working, unemployed; their stories validate my work and shape my research.  Nearly every encounter is summarized with: life can be better. I couldn’t agree more.

Q: How do you feel GSA serves the field of gerontology and aging research?
A: In order for a discipline to survive and thrive it is imperative to have a variety of platforms to facilitate dialogue and to share knowledge. GSA does just that through its annual conference, journals, and website. Experts from a wide range of disciplines can come together and discuss the current substantive and methodological issues. Additionally, it serves as a critical social network to tap into—and especially for young scholars. It’s hard to imagine being in this line of work without GSA and Hartford.

Q: Do you have any tips for emerging gerontologists?
A: It’s clear that this question is typically asked of an expert or longstanding member. But in my case, I am an emerging gerontologist. So, it’s important for the reader to bear that in mind. First, get thick skin. Receiving criticism is difficult because it is easy to make it personal. Separate yourself from your ideas. Ultimately people are just trying to improve your ideas. Also, collaborate. Initially I took every writing opportunity but then I realized that it’s best to have a substantive body of work that is cohesive—so collaborate wisely.

Q: Tell us a little about your most recent activities/accomplishments?
A: Most recent: I’ve dived fully into my dissertation. Recently, I co-taught a social gerontology course with Dr. Nancy Morrow-Howell at the Brown School; submitted a paper for publication; started data analysis on a project focused on career switching; jumped onto two other research projects.

Q: Have you had an important mentor in your career? If so, how did it make a difference?
A: Quite frankly, the mentors in my life have been instrumental to my professional and academic development. I’m the first to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in my family—nonetheless to obtain a PhD—and I didn’t have a “road-map” of sorts or any of the other social/cultural capital. In light of that, I couldn’t be any luckier. I've had several mentors in the fields of sociology, philosophy and social work: Drs. Ada Mui, Vincent Ramos, Amanda Moore McBride, Claus Muller, Janet Poppendick, Cheryl Howard, and Andree Harper. All have been incredibly supportive. But there are two, in particular, that have really propelled my scholarship in social work and guided me through the research process: Dr. Barbara Berkman at Columbia and Dr. Nancy Morrow-Howell at Wash U. They have fueled my intellectual curiosity and are exemplary researchers, colleagues, and individuals. It’s funny because when I was searching for a MSW program, I was torn on which school to go to because I wanted to study with both. Well, as it turned out, I still managed to do just that: Dr. Berkman with the MSW and Dr. Morrow-Howell with the Ph.D. And it looks as though my luck isn’t running out: through the Hartford Dissertation Fellowship I’m now being mentored by Dr. Ruth Dunkle at Michigan. I believe all will be instrumental to successfully accomplishing the dissertation and obtaining a fantastic job.