For Worcester high school seniors Funbi Fatoke and Yariel Lopez, the 2024 Dynamic Futures program at UMass Chan Medical School is sparking an interest in behavioral health careers and in the importance of addressing mental health issues in their communities.
Fatoke and Lopez are among the 25 Worcester high school students and recent graduates participating the Dynamic Futures program, a yearlong initiative that started this summer with an intensive four-week schedule of classes, off-campus outings and team-building exercises.
In its third year at UMass Chan, the program is designed to introduce students to behavioral health fields in an effort to diversify the behavioral health workforce and improve behavioral health outcomes in local communities.
Fatoke, a senior at Worcester Technical High School, said the program has inspired her to consider a career in medicine, with a special interest in the field of psychiatry.
“What I’m learning from this program is that mental health is something we need to keep talking about. We need more programs and more people who are willing to move the discussion about mental health forward,” Fatoke said.
A new component of the Dynamic Futures program is the Mental Health First Aid Program for Teens from the National Council of Mental Wellbeing that equips students with knowledge and skills to help peers in crisis. The students earn a certificate for completing the course.
Additionally, a research seminar was added. Kathryn Sabella, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research in the Implementation Science and Practice Advances Research Center, or iSPARC, at UMass Chan, discussed research as a career path, including learning about the research process and the ethics of research.
“We talk a lot about clinical careers in behavioral health, but we wanted to broaden the outlook of career options in the field and include research. We want the students to know that if they don’t think direct care service is for them, there’s plenty of research that needs to be done, too,” said Katie Stickney, project manager for Community and Government Relations at UMass Chan and program administrator for Dynamic Futures.
The students also toured the Interprofessional Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation, or iCELS, at UMass Chan. In all, more than 50 speakers presented to the students during lectures and panels.
Lopez, a senior at Burncoat Senior High School, is interested in pursuing a career in forensic psychology. He said hearing from the speakers has helped open his eyes to the needs of his family and neighbors.
“This program has given me an understanding of what resources are available in Worcester and has instilled in me an attitude of being more aware of what other people around me might be dealing with.”
Lopez said, “Coming from a diverse community and never really having engaged in the mental health field before, this program has given me an understanding of what resources are available in Worcester and has instilled in me an attitude of being more aware of what other people around me might be dealing with.”
Students toured the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction, the Worcester Veterans Affairs Center, an encampment site at Oread Castle Park in Worcester, and Clark University; had lunch at Café Reyes on Shrewsbury Street; visited AIDS Project Worcester; and attended a Worcester Red Sox game at Polar Park.
Students also participated in internships at several organizations, including Seven Hills Foundation, Open Sky Community Services and El Buen Samaritano Food Program.
The students stayed in residence halls at Worcester State University.
Applications for next summer’s Dynamic Futures program will be available in November. To apply, students must be between 16 and 18 years old and either attend or have graduated from a Worcester high school.
