College students most often encounter actor Seth Rogen portraying a slacker in comedies like Superbad, Knocked Up and Pineapple Express. But on a trip to Washington DC, a group of USC Leonard Davis School students met him in a more serious role; that of Alzheimer’s activist.
At the 2019 National Alzheimer’s Summit, the students–members of The Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s–spoke out on Capitol Hill, lobbying leaders to increase funding for Alzheimer’s research and pass legislation designed to enable early detection of the disease.
Rogen and his wife Lauren rallied the students and joined them on congressional office visits. The couple are founders of Hilarity for Charity, an awareness organization committed to energizing the next generation of champions for Alzheimer’s treatment, prevention and care. If the USC Leonard Davis School students are any indication, the future looks bright in that regard.
“Sharing the platform with supportive medical professionals, legislative leaders and community stakeholders gave me a feeling of purpose and determination, reminding me that I was in the right place at the right time,” said Giovanna Manson-Hing, who is in her first year of the Master of Arts in Gerontology program. “Together… we proclaimed our mission to support family caregivers, tackle this fatal neurodegenerative disease and be the voice for those who cannot advocate for themselves.”
