Belmont Village, the assisted living facility where my grandpa lives, reached out to me because they saw some of my portraits and wanted me to photograph their residents. I think my grandpa and his fellow residents would make a great contribution to this project—much like the homeless youth I’ve met through My Friend’s Place, they all have stories to tell that lie way below the surface. The sad truth is that many people don’t take the time to listen to the elderly, as they can come across as slow or tedious; this is especially true in America, I think, where we don’t show the same reverence for older generations as some other cultures do. But the elderly have lived through history, have made history, and they have a whole life’s worth of experiences and stories—even my own family members have fought in wars, escaped the Holocaust, and witnessed 9/11. I can’t wait to ask my elderly subjects all about their pasts while also capturing their faces, as I know that every one of the wrinkles imprinted on their skin will tell an important tale.