Charly Jordan
Member of the Lussier CARDS® since 2010
What is one thing you really like about being a member of the CARDS at Lussier?
I like being able to contribute to the community. It gives us a voice. It gives us insight into what studies are [about], and the opportunity to help with a flyer or a survey that will reach the public.
What is one interesting experience or research topic we discussed at a meeting – something that stands out in your memory?
They’re all so memorable – to name one is so difficult! When I am describing CARDS to others, I always come back to the study about obesity in teenaged boys. We talked about how to reach out to them and find out what their issues are regarding obesity – dealing with obesity and maintaining a healthy weight. This interested me because it was about teenage kids, and there’s a lot of obesity going on, and diabetes is a component of obesity.
How has being in the CARDS affected your attitude about research?
[Like in the obesity study,] I felt that it was interesting how someone was so willing to reach out and try to tackle a certain issue.
Tell us something interesting about yourself that people might be surprised to learn!
Right now, I’m working on putting our family tree together, learning who my family was and our origins. I’m the oldest of the grandchildren, and I have a good memory, so I like sharing with nieces and nephews and cousins how their moms and dads were when we were growing up. I remember the first day of school with my aunt walking me into the kindergarten class, and there was a problem with me being there, and they didn’t want me there. She went in and [told them], “This little black girl is going to attend this school.” [I didn’t know that] at that same time, [my aunt] was having problems getting into her own high school. I got into the school, and she had to go fight her own fight to get into the high school.
My ultimate goal is to have a family tree in every household.