Wildcat Alumni Spotlight:
Sade Rainey
Sade Rainey graduated from JVL in 2015 when she was 19 years old. When she finished high school, she became a paraprofessional in New York City. She received supportive tutoring at a non-profit organization: Harlem Children's Zone college success office, and then worked there as an afterschool staff member. She also attended Bronx Community College and received her Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education in 2023. Now she is currently pursuing her Bachelor's degree in social work at Lehman College. WOW, SADE! CONGRATS this is so incredible!
Sade is most proud of: "My growth and the woman I am today... the woman I am becoming." ❤
Sade's best Wildcat memory: Sade loved having the ability to go to school 1 week and work the next. She didn't believe schools like this existed at first, but when she was referred by a friend she applied right away. She started at the Bronx campus and really enjoyed working her internship at a daycare center there. She then transferred to the Manhattan one when she had enough credits. She loved having extra support from staff. Dr. Peters always gave me opportunities to grow and win. "She was always in my corner," Sade said.
Sade's advice for current Wildcats: “I know every day is rough and tough, but if you put your mind to it, YOU CAN DO IT! If you keep failing, you keep failing-- it's okay. Don't be afraid to ask for help. There are always a lot of opportunities and tons of support at Wildcat. You may be shy, but you can build great relationships there. Having these people in your corner can help you so much. It's amazing having both personal and academic support. It NEVER hurts to ask for help. Always remember, the sky is the limit. But remember: You gotta WANT IT more than THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO HAVE IT!"
FUN FACT: Sade says she is a "Funny" person to be around.
Thank you Sade for speaking with me. You were an absolute JOY to talk to! Your positive, upbeat spirit was so wonderful. I wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors and remember, you always have a home here at Wildcat! :)
If you know of or are, yourself a Wildcat Superstar Alum who would like to share an inspiring story with our community, we would love to hear from you! Email @ Nbogutsky_SCT@jvlwildcat.org
Teen Drug & Alcohol Use Linked to Mental Health Distress
The article discusses new research published in JAMA Pediatrics which indicates that teenagers who use cannabis, alcohol, and nicotine are more likely to have underlying psychiatric symptoms and experience worse symptoms compared to their peers who don't use substances regularly. These findings suggest that screening adolescents for substance use could be an effective way to identify underlying mental health issues.
The study found that the link between substance use and mental health issues existed even at low levels of drug and alcohol consumption. It suggests that adolescents with low substance use levels might be self-medicating, and their substance use may not be the direct cause of their mental health challenges. However, the study also found that the most frequent and intensive substance users experienced the most severe mental health symptoms, indicating a "dose-dependent" relationship between substance use intensity and symptom severity.
The research utilized data from two large samles of high school students in Massachusetts and respondents to the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey, both of which yielded similar findings. The study highlights that the association between substance use and psychiatric symptoms is present across multiple symptoms and substances, not just limited to one particular substance.
Furthermore, the article discusses a generational shift where today's adolescents are experiencing more mental health symptoms but showing a declining trend in drug and alcohol use, particularly binge-drinking and cigarette smoking. This trend suggests that screening teenagers for substance use could be particularly important, as the group of regular substance users is smaller and potentially more closely linked to individuals dealing with mental health challenges.
Curious what's happening in NY schools? You can read more here.
Resource of the Month:
The Steve Fund
The Steve Fund works on promoting the emotional and mental wellbeing of young people of color. They work with colleges, universities, non-profit organizations, researchers, mental health experts, families and young people to promote programs and strategies that build understanding and assistance for the mental and emotional health of the nation’s young people of color.
What they do includes:
- Building Knowledge through trust and leadership ~ transforming educational and workplace environments so they can attend to and enhance mental health of young BIPOC
Some of The Steve Fund Workshops:
- Building Capacity as Leaders to Address the Mental Health of Students of Color
- Activism is Wellness
- Promoting the Mental Health of Students of Color: Considerations and Strategies for the Classroom and Beyond
- Role Model Round Table: Women of Color Series
- Storytelling Series for Female Employees of Color
- Stress, Anxiety, and Mindfulness Sessions
- Support Racial Climate at Work Speaker Series
- Inclusive Leadership Program
The Steve Fund has a portfolio of powerful and culturally relevant educational programs to enable you to immediately make a positive impact on the lives of young people of color.
They work with racially and culturally diverse mental health experts to design and deliver programs from portfolio or custom programming to ensure the environment is established to help young people of color thrive and achieve success. They offer three pathways of programs and services (e.g., workshops, webinars, training and technical assistance) led by racially-diverse mental health experts.
The Steve Fund Crisis Line & Resources:
* 741741 * & Text “STEVE”
