Page 10 - BusinessWest June 10, 2024

EDITORIAL >>
AAA Finalists Are Profiles in Change
Life is rarely a straight line. Countless young people exit high school with a clear path in mind, like a college major or a trade apprenticeship that will prepare them for a specific
career.
But so many of our 40 Under Forty honorees over the 18 years
of the program have told us stories, when we interview them
for their profile articles each April, of how their original plan morphed into something completely different — how a degree became less important than an influential summer internship or an entrepreneurial opportunity, and everything changed.
It’s true of so many people in this fast-moving economy; think of how many folks in your own life are making a living at some- thing far different from what they studied in college. We’ve even spoken to college presidents about this phenomenon, and the rec- ognition that higher-ed institutions need to teach students how to be lifelong learners, how to adapt and evolve; in fact, studies have shown that today’s graduates will average seven different careers in their lifetimes.
Even for our 40 Under Forty honorees, the evolution often doesn’t stop with the role that earned them that recognition. Take this year’s four Alumni Achievement Award finalists, whose sto- ries begin on page 5.
When Andrew Melendez was named to the 40 Under Forty class of 2015, he was director of the short-lived Agawam YMCA Family Center; today, he’s the founder and leader of the Latino Economic Development Council, helping others advance their
OPINION >>
own business dreams.
Meghan Rothschild was working in marketing and develop-
ment for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts — and had also built a reputation for skin-cancer advocacy — when she was named to the class of 2011. Today, she runs a well-regarded, multi-faceted marketing agency called Chikmedia, while starting to emerge as one of the region’s go-to public speakers on all man- ner of topics.
Since Payton Shubrick was named to the class of 2019 while working at MassMutual, she has launched a family cannabis dis- pensary called Six Brick’s and — more impressively — continues to guide it through some serious industry whitewater.
Even Craig Swimm has a story of change. Unlike the other finalists, he’s still making his mark where he was honored as an inaugural 40 Under Forty winner in 2007, when he was director of sales at WMAS. Now senior vice president at Audacy Spring- field, the now-owner of that station and others, his story is not one of switching careers, but navigating serious changes in radio and still thriving on the other side.
These stories are a reminder that even the most successful careers can change for the better, with a combination of foresight, courage, resilience, and passion — and that the chapters ahead
in any of our stories can be unexpectedly exciting and impactful. We’ve been telling such stories at BusinessWest for a long time, and we haven’t stopped being inspired. BW
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Check In with Your Teen This Summer
BY KHADENE HARRY-STOBY, RN
As summer break approaches, the joyous anticipation of free- dom from school routines fills the hearts of adolescents. Yet, amidst the excitement lies a poignant reality: mental- health concerns do not take a hiatus when classrooms empty
and textbooks gather dust. It is imperative to acknowledge and address the ongoing mental-health challenges that adolescents face, even during the carefree days of summer.
Some teens may relish hours of independence, while others may struggle with a lack of routine and ability to socialize. The adolescent years are a pivotal time of transition, marked by physi- cal, emotional, and social transformations. While summer vaca- tion may signify a break from academic pressures, it can also introduce new stressors. The absence of structured routines, social isolation, familial tensions, and heightened expectations can exacerbate pre-existing mental-health issues or instigate new ones.
Busy parents and caregivers may want to find a moment that’s good for both them and the young person in their care to ask about their break expectations and to really listen to any concerns and how they might want to address them.
Budgets may dictate what family activities are on the summer calendar, but some are free — movie night at home, making din- ner together, checking out the local library for summer programs, evening walks, starting a small garden.
What’s important is finding space and time in which a young person can feel comfortable to share how they are feeling emo- tionally. Listening without judgment about how a young person is feeling throughout the year can help them open up about what may be distressing them.
Are they feeling lonely, bored, excluded? Are these negative feelings prolonged and in need of therapeutic treatment, or can they be addressed by adding some structure — exercise, volun- teering, reading — into the day?
Signs a young person may be experiencing a mental-health challenge and need professional support include ongoing changes in sleeping, eating, and other everyday routines; anxiety that inter- feres with daily function; expressing hopelessness; increased anger or irritability; substance use; or loss of interest in what they used to enjoy.
Mental-health challenges are treatable. There are a range of both short- and long-term therapies, including counseling, medi- cation, and sometimes a combination of both, available to help address and manage them.
Inpatient treatment is available as well to help youth in acute crisis stabilize and learn skills to manage their mental health as they move forward.
As we embark on the summer months, let us remember that adolescent mental health knows no vacation. Let us reaffirm our commitment to nurturing the holistic well-being of adolescents year-round. And together, let us create a future where every ado- lescent feels supported, empowered, and resilient in the face of life’s challenges. BW
Khadene Harry-Stoby is Adolescent Unit nurse manager for MiraVista Behavioral Health Center in Holyoke, a psychiatric hospital that offers inpatient treatment for adults and adolescents in crisis, as well as outpatient substance-use recovery services.
10 JUNE 10, 2024
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