Over the past few years, the UC San Diego Department of Music, with support from the Gluck Foundation, has hosted concerts at various senior centers and community organizations, such as Los Años Dorados. These events are designed to allow older adults to enjoy music, companionship, and new sounds. Graduate students from different disciplines have been able to perform and share their music with these audiences. 

Los Años Dorados is a vibrant community of primarily older women who cherish the opportunity to connect. They share delightful meals, craft beautiful knitted garments—many of which have been showcased in exhibitions—and engage in heartfelt discussions about their families and life experiences. This project aims to gather their poignant stories of migration and life in San Diego and San Ysidro while highlighting Mary Rodriguez's remarkable efforts to nurture and strengthen this invaluable community. 

These heartfelt life stories offer us a glimpse into immigrants' incredible resilience and determination. They highlight the joys and achievements that come with hard work while illuminating the challenges and heartaches faced when leaving behind their homeland to pursue a new life. For over 4 decades, these women have demonstrated to themselves that their roots can grow in any land.

In the summer of 2024, David Aguila, Robert Bui, Teresa Díaz de Cossío, Pablo Dodero, and Natalia Merlano Gómez, came together to create this documentation project. This initiative received valuable support from the Department of Music at the University of California, San Diego, along with the backing of the Gluck Family Foundation and Conrad Prebys Foundation. Their collaboration is set to make a significant impact in the community.

This event will be a screening of videos with two performance sets, along with a guest panel of the women highlighted in the project.