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91-year-old woman living her dream finally as tech designer for Silicon Valley Firm IDEO. Get inspired



Beskind, A 91-year-old woman has shown the world that old age has no barrier to what she can do. When most of us give up on our dreams so fast, someone some where  finds happiness in the fulfillment of her calling, even as she nears her end.

 Beskind had wanted to be an inventor but the society as at those days, thought little of female engineers. She joined the army and became an occupational therapist instead.

2 years ago, she saw an interview in which the founder of Silicon Valley Design Firm IDEO, David Kelley, spoke about the importance of diversity on a design team, and decided to apply to work at the firm.

It took her two months to pen down her CV which  was sent through snail mail. The company finally hired her and since then, she has become a source of inspiration to the employees of the company.

She shares her ideas on the designs that are perfect for the geriatrics. Her team members say that beskind is new and invigorating, enjoyable to listen to and breaking fresh grounds with ideas that work well for the old people.

Barbara Beskind, 91, is a beloved member of the staff at Silicon Valley design firm IDEO, where she works every Thursday. She gets around using ski poles that she bought at Costco and modified.


 She has become the muse of most of the employees, filling  them with the spirit of innovation and inventiveness

"I want to be someplace stimulating, with people who are passionate and creative," she told the Wall Street Journal. "This is the best experience I have had in my professional life."


Beskind also had a few words of wisdom on several other topics:

Get rid of your devices: "I'm one of the wealthiest people in the world. I'm as wealthy as Warren Buffett, because I measure my wealth by having uninterrupted time. I have no cell phone except one to use for emergency. I have no laptop. I have no smartphone, no iPod, because I can't see them. I have uninterrupted time to think."

Expect the unexpected: "I think the beauty of being 91 is that you can look back and see how the little pieces fit into the big pieces of life, and life is a complete puzzle. Only when you get to be this age can you see it, and that's the joy and the excitement of it."

Don't let age get in your way: "Age is not a barrier to performance. Live life as an adventure, and expect change and endorse it, embrace it. Because as you age, every day you will be making changes. You will be adapting to changes in the way you have to do things whether they're physical or they're visual.


Don't let "old" become your identity: "Everybody has untapped resources. You just have to find them. They may be in music, they may be in childcare, they may be in volunteering at the hospital or at the library. I think with the aging, you so often lose your identity, and I think this is what IDEO gives to me, is the opportunity to explore what my identity is."

This , to me, is a mind-blowing inspiration. 

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  1. This lady is so courageous i must tell u

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