‘The lifelong collateral damage after even one stay in jail is financially, emotionally and socially devastating.’

Calverton

“I’ve taught in higher education since 2003 and seen the transformative power of education. I also know the life-changing effect it had on me as a student.

“High school wasn’t something I enjoyed. I might have dropped out if it weren’t for a few teachers and my mother’s insistence. I was raised by a single parent who no doubt had her hands full with me, never mind my three other sisters.

“It was at the urging of my senior-year English teacher that I applied to college; otherwise, I likely wouldn’t have done so. I loved it. I loved the independence and learning about different ideas, experiences and people.

“I slowly became more aware of my connection to the world and its connection to me. For me, college summoned so much, including the courage to explore my sexual identity, in time feeling safer to come out.

We needed to create a program conducive to the environment.

“Eventually, I obtained my PhD. Like me, there are people who don’t enjoy high school — and for different reasons than my own. I find nevertheless that people want to learn and like learning. I’ve experienced that in the jails where I teach college-oriented modules. I want those students who others have counted out and underestimated.

“Like many, I have family members who struggled with addiction and ended up in jail. The lifelong collateral damage after even one stay in jail is financially, emotionally and socially devastating. So I founded Sound Justice Initiative Inc. [SJI], and in July 2021, we began teaching in Suffolk jails.

“The first six months we had 96 class seats occupied; in 2022 we had over 500 seats taken in our classes. Jails are short-term facilities, which typically don’t offer college-level opportunities because the population is in flux. We needed to create a program conducive to the environment. For our students, it’s not always easy to concentrate. Their lives have been upended. They’re worried about their kids, parents and other loved ones.

“The fact is, many will leave jail and reenter our communities. For those who qualify, SJI helps establish an education pathway plan for reentry. After all, it’s more likely that if they attain a degree or obtain advanced vocational training, their children will follow and end the family cycle.”

Interviewed by Liza Burby

‘I’ve had so many unusual experiences and unique experiences — all because he and I somehow connected at the shelter.’

Calverton

“I have always been a pet person. For the longest time, I was into big dogs only. A couple of years ago, we had an elderly dog and a younger dog and we were looking for a friend for the younger dog. We went to nearby shelters looking to adopt, and my husband fell in love with a puppy of a purebred French mastiff.

“I was eyeing a dog that looked like the size of a rat. So I said to my husband, any food that falls out of the big dog’s mouth could be a full meal for the little guy, so it wouldn’t be any extra investment in money.

“And so home we went with two dogs. As the little dog, Andre, was growing, I realized he was so much more high energy than every other dog that I’ve ever had. We started running, but I soon realized he needed a little more of a challenge, so we switched to agility. Then I noticed flyers around for a ‘barking beauty pageant.’ It was a fundraiser to raise money for a local shelter and for an organization for the arts. And I thought, ‘Oh, that’s so fun.’

I’ve had so many unusual experiences and unique experiences — all because he and I somehow connected at the shelter.

“I started getting into these Facebook groups, and I’m like, what did I get myself into? The contest has three parts: formal wear, activewear and talent. For the formal wear, we got him a custom-made raw silk tuxedo. I’m thinking to myself, I don’t even have anything that’s raw silk.

“For the activewear, we went with a beach theme because it was in the Hamptons. For the talent portion, at the last minute, we got PVC piping and made our own very basic obstacle course. When we got there, we realized we didn’t have enough room for half of what I brought for the agility course and had to have him do it in a straight line, which is actually easy for a dog who is versed in it.

“We nailed it, and we won the talent portion and got second place overall. I couldn’t believe it. Since then, Disney chose him to model some of their officially licensed pet costumes, and he walked in the Anthony Rubio New York Fashion Week show.

“He has just turned my world upside down. I’ve had so many unusual experiences and unique experiences — all because he and I somehow connected at the shelter. Now he goes out, and we’ve got people who meet him and say, I was never a little dog person, but this dog makes me want to consider them.”

Interviewed by Hannah Fusaro

‘I was drawn to pursue medicine to alleviate the suffering that others experience, and it has been a tremendous source of meaning to be able to be part of a process in which people heal.’

Calverton

“I was drawn to pursue medicine to alleviate the suffering that others experience, and it has been a tremendous source of meaning to be able to be part of a process in which people heal. I was always struck how people with substance issues were misunderstood, stigmatized or viewed as a caricature by the community at large and by medical providers. As I started to encounter people who specialized in treating addictions, I understood it as a complex yet treatable disease.

“I’m medical director at Wellbridge, an addiction treatment center in Calverton with collaboration between scientists and clinicians. Most medical schools have less than two hours of addiction-focused training in four years of medical training. Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, where I’m an associate professor of psychiatry, is expanding the amount of addiction-focused training to 40 hours. That goes a really long way. One of the primary areas of how to manage addictions, is teaching people how to communicate effectively and utilize their skills. That can change their behaviors and instill more hope that they can decrease the use of drugs and alcohol and lead to an array of healthy habits and coping skills.

Addiction itself is a complex disease that’s often marked by shame, embarrassment and denial and that can often make it challenging for someone struggling to be receptive to care and support. To be able to navigate that process requires a relationship with trust and safety.

“At Wellbridge, we have a resident addiction treatment program and a center for addiction science with lots of research activities that work very closely with our clinical activities. A close marriage between science and clinical care is a very well-established playbook from other areas of medicines, like oncology and cardiology. But there have been barriers to transition this work into the addiction arena. Very often, people struggling with addiction say their experiences in general medical settings have been really difficult.

“Addiction itself is a complex disease that’s often marked by shame, embarrassment and denial and that can often make it challenging for someone struggling to be receptive to care and support. To be able to navigate that process requires a relationship with trust and safety. Addiction is a treatable condition and the first and critical step is to reach out for support.”

The person profiled here has been a guest on Newsday Live.

Interviewed by Iris Wiener