Sharing life lessons across generations

By Evan Dawson,

Megan Mack, Julie Williams

Published June 1, 2026 at 9:36 PM EDT

Three smiling people sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left has short blonde hair and is wearing glasses and a light blue top; a woman at center has long dark hair and is wearing a black top; a man at right has very short dark hair and is wearing glasses, a dark blue button-down shirt, jeans, and brown shoes

1 of 3 — St Johns 1.jpg

Sue Covel and Marie Kamin with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on June 1, 2026

Don Perry / WXXI News

Two girls and one woman smile at the camera: a girl at left has long curly dark hair and is wearing earrings, a necklace, and a black shirt; a girl at center has her blonde hair pulled back and is wearing glasses and a white tank top with black stripes; a woman at right has short light brown hair and is wearing glasses, a blue lanyard, and a green shirt

2 of 3 — Rafaela, Kate, Rachel.png

Rafaela Agi Maluli, Kate Hucko, and Rachel Hucko on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on June 1, 2026

WXXI News

Four smiling people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man front left is wearing a black baseball hat with a design, a maroon t-shirt with a graphic in white, jeans, and sneakers; a man back left has short gray hair and a gray mustache and beard and is wearing a blue button-down shirt; a woman back center has long dark hair and is wearing a black top; a man at right has very short dark hair and is wearing glasses, a dark blue button-down shirt, jeans, and brown shoes

3 of 3 — St Johns 2.jpg

(foreground) Daniel Santiago, (background) David Watkins, and Marie Kamin with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on June 1, 2026

Don Perry / WXXI News

What can young people learn from the wisdom of seniors? And what can older adults learn from students?

Two local programs are pairing young people with senior citizens so members of different generations can benefit from the other’s experience. We hear from participants about what they’ve learned from each other.

Our guests:

Rachel Hucko, middle school music teacher at Allendale Columbia School
Kate Hucko, seventh grader at Allendale Columbia School
Rafaela Agi Maluli, seventh grader at Allendale Columbia School
Sue Covel, resident at St. John's
Marie Kamin, volunteer services coordinator at St. John's
David Watkins, executive director of hospitality at St. John's
Daniel Santiago, job coach at Edison Career and Technology High School