Photography students at Lick Wilmerding High School partnered with Catholic Charities OMI Senior Center for a project aimed towards creating meaningful intergenerational connections through portrait photography and oral history collection. Students worked with an assigned senior partner and shared their personal history with one another. The LWHS students captured portraits and recorded the life stories of their partner. The project culminated in a photography exhibition at LWHS celebrating stories of OMI community members.

The project was very successful by increasing awareness and fostering intergenerational relationships. It developed the students’ photography and storytelling ability and preserved and honored the life stories of our seniors. Lastly, it met the goal of promoting empathy, respect, and appreciation across generations.

Following the interviews, the students created a photo showcase at school and graciously invited our clients to view their photos. “That’s me! That’s my story,” cheered Agnes, a client of OMI Senior Center. Our seniors were incredibly touched to see themselves and their friends proudly displayed on the walls. Each client received their own photo to take home. Thank you to the Photo 2 students at Lick Wilmerding HS for preserving our seniors’ personal history and eloquently retelling their stories.