Daija Holliday, 25, moved from North Carolina to Marquette University in Milwaukee looking for somewhere safe and affordable where she could also build a community, MarketWatch reported.
She found it at St. Camillus Life Plan Community in suburban Wauwatosa, home to more than 600 older adults.
Holliday pays about $500 a month for an independent apartment while pursuing a counseling psychology degree.
Her required volunteer hours go into socializing over coffee and the newspaper, helping residents run errands, leading Saturday morning fitness classes and organizing game nights.
"It's my family away from home. I always feel like they have my back," she told MarketWatch, adding that she grew up in her grandparents' house, so the arrangement felt natural.
