91-Year-Old Woman Finally Lands Her Dream Job In Silicon Valley

A 91-year-old woman has achieved her dream of becoming an inventor by joining an acclaimed Silicon Valley company.

Barbara Beskind designed her first product when she was 10 years old.

She told TODAY,

I wanted to make a hobby horse, and I made it out of old tires. I learned a lot about gravity because I fell off so many times.

Beskind would later ask her high school guidance counselor about attending an engineering school only to be shot down because they did not accept women at the time.

So she joined the Army, became an occupational therapist and satisfied her creative side by writing several books and creating beautiful paintings.

It wasn't until two years ago that she decided to take another crack at her childhood goal.

She applied for a job at IDEO, a Palo Alto-based firm mostly known for producing the first mouse for Apple computers.

Beskind said,

It took me about two months to write my resume, paring it down from nine pages. Then I wrote the letter and sent it by snail mail.

She only works one day a week, but her arrival is celebrated throughout the building each time.

An email gets sent to the entire company informing them that she's there, according to TODAY, and many immediately greet her with hugs.

Beskind's work involves tools for the elderly that she personally tests at home.

IDEO is currently designing prototypes for a walking device she invented called the "trekker."

She told TODAY that she draws strength from her age because it has heightened her ability to adapt.

She said,

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.

Beskind urges her peers to rediscover their identities by delving further into what brings them joy because everyone has the potential to make a difference, regardless of age.

Citations: Tech designer lands her dream job in Silicon Valley (Today)