Montgomery County, Maryland Honors SCSEP Participant

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Jicheng Meng, a former SCSEP participant with the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington (JCA) was selected to be Montgomery County Maryland's Workforce and Economic Development Awards Senior Participant of the Year. He and others who have made an impact on workforce development in Montgomery County, Maryland were honored at an awards breakfast on October 26.

It was not work, but family, that originally led Jicheng, better known as Larry around the JCA offices, to become involved in the Senior Aides Program. In 1995, Larry and his wife immigrated to the U.S. to be with their granddaughter after she was diagnosed with a serious illness. Without a second thought, he left behind his 25-year career as Professor of Linguistics at the University of Business and Economics in Beijing, China, where he also served both as Dean of Faculty and Dean of Studies.

While he and his wife cared for their granddaughter, Larry also enrolled in the SCSEP program, in the hope of returning to teaching. However, Larry's ability to speak three languages fluently—Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and English—made him a valuable asset for working with JCA SCSEP participants who do not speak English. Larry handled all phone calls with Spanish and Chinese-speaking participants and helped them complete the 18 pages of government-required program forms. “I like helping seniors,” he said. “Each day I can feel my contribution to society directly. I am being useful to people and making a difference in their lives.”

Later, he took computer courses funded by the program to enhance his skills. Today, he is permanently employed by Montgomery County Public Schools at Cabin John Middle School as Instructional Data Assistant.

JCA's SCSEP project director Harriet Shapiro proudly shares, “Larry is so kind, patient and understanding. The participants love him, and we do, too.”

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