SEPTEMBER 2015
cover story MERGING PRINT AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM :: SEPTEMBER 2015
FOR ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU ARE...ROCHESTER WOMAN
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OUT & ABOUT 7 PLATTER CHATTER 8 FASHION FORWARD 10 FITNESS 12 SNAP OUT OF IT 16 LEADING WOMAN 18
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IN HER OWN WORDS
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SPECIAL FEATURE: Sandra Frankel
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COVER STORY 30 HEALTHY WOMAN 36 TIPS FOR WOMEN 38 LOCAL BUSINESS MATTERS 40
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RW INSPIRES 42 MENOPAUSE MOMENT 48 POSITIVE MIND/POSITIVE LIFE
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RWM EVENTS 52 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 53 FASHION EDUCATION 54 DOLLARS & SENSE 56
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Letter from the
OUR TEAM...
PUBLISHERS
Speaking of firsts, in December of 2013 Linda Andreano was elected as fire commissioner of the North Greece Fire District. She is the first woman to hold that office in the history of the department. Since her election, Andreano has immersed herself in the job and has found the key to her success is surrounding herself with strong advocates. Read all about her incredible story and what pushed her to give back on page [42].
“A quality education has the power to transform societies in a single generation, provide children with the protection they need from the hazards of poverty, labor exploitation and disease, and give them the knowledge, skills and confidence to reach their full potential.” --Audrey Hepburn
We are really excited about our cover story in this issue. RIT Journalism professor Andrea Hickerson, along with fellow professor Elena Fedorovskaya, have launched Hazel Transmedia Laboratories to develop technologies that engage audiences across print, digital and virtual platforms. Along with a team of students have created a new app called RocReadaR. The app allows the reader of a publication to interact and engage with the publication with their phone or tablet. Utilizing icons printed alongside an article, the reader simply holds the electronic device over the article and can then instantly view videos or photos, listen to a voice recording or share the article on social media or via email. Rochester Woman Magazine is proud to be working with this team to help with beta testing and getting the application ready for launch. Read more about this exciting new technology on page [30]. The College at Brockport recently hired a new president, and for the first time in over 100 years, it’s a woman --Heidi Macpherson. Macpherson comes to Upstate New York from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she served as the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. She is passionately committed to higher education and plans to focus on student success. Read more about her in our Leading Woman column on page [18].
It’s an age old question. What do I want to be when I grow up? We’ve all asked ourselves that, and if anyone has children, it’s a constant source of conversation and sometimes contention between parents and teens. In this month’s Snap Out of It column, Margaret Madigan discusses the importance of encouraging kids to follow their dreams. Read her advice on page [16]. For nearly ten years parents and children flocked to La-Tea-Da on Alexander St to enjoy a whimsical and silly afternoon of make believe with tea and delicious food. Earlier this year the popular tea room was destroyed by fire. Not to be deterred, owner Maureen Becker has reopened LaTea-Da in East Rochester and customers are loving it. Read her story on page [40]. Finally, we’d like to thank everyone who attended, sponsored and were vendors at our 2015 RWMs Ultimate Fashion Show and Expo on August 27th. The event was a huge success and we would like to say a very special thank you to Victory Church for hosting this amazing expo and showstopping fashion show. Our next big event will be the 5th Annual Ultimate Women’s Expo, to be held on Thursday, November 19th at the Burgundy Basin Inn. This promises to be another incredible event filled with over 200+ vendors, fashion shows, live performances, food and beverage sampling, and of course lots of shopping! So mark your calendar and visit www.ultimatewomensexpos.com for more information.
Kelly & Barb ON OUR COVER
The team behind RocReadaR: (from left to right) Fanyi Cheng, Suresh Babu Jothilingam, Yingtong “Bobbi” Bu, Elena Fedorovskaya, Andrea Hickerson Nimish Parikh and Syed Tousif Ahmed photographed on location at the RIT Discovery Lab by Todd Elliott of Studio E.
OUR TEAM...
PUBLISHERS Kelly Breuer Barbara McSpadden ASSOCIATE EDITOR Margaret Madigan EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Barbara McSpadden
CREATIVE DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Kelly Breuer
PHOTOGRAPHY Todd Elliott Gilmore Hayle Lisa Mancini Brandon Vick
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jill Burress Vanessa Cheeks Cynthia Kolko Stephen Comello, MD Rebecca Ferguson Jessica Gaspar Danielle Gordon Andrea Hickerson Alyssa Jackson Joan E. Lincoln Margaret Madigan Collette Powers Sraddha Pradivadi Anne Marie Stonecypher Sofia Tokar James Woods, MD
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Unlike any other publication in the Rochester area, our feature articles address major topics that interest local women. Each issue includes articles on health, fashion, fitness, finance, home matters, dining, lifestyle and personal perspectives, as well as a spotlight on local Rochester women. The print magazines are distributed locally in over 350 locations and will be in your inbox electronically by the first week of every month. The publication is available free of charge.
CONTACT OUR HOME OFFICE 585.727.9120 PO Box 90798 I Rochester, NY 14609 info@rochesterwomanmag.com DOWNLOAD OUR MEDIA KIT AT www.rochesterwomanmag.com The magazine is published 12 times a year by Rochester Woman Magazine, llc. PO Box 90798, Rochester NY 14609. Copyright © 2014 Rochester Woman Magazine, llc. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or republished without the consent of the publishers. Rochester Woman Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts, photos or artwork. All such submissions become the property of Rochester Woman Magazine, llc. and will not be returned.
O&A MOVIES
The Visit - Sept 11
The Visit focuses on a brother and sister who are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong trip. Once the children discover that the elderly couple is involved in something deeply disturbing, they see their chances of getting back home are growing smaller every day.
Everest - Sept 18 Everest documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered by mankind. Their mettle tested by the harshest elements found on the planet, the climbers will face nearly impossible obstacles as a lifelong obsession becomes a breathtaking struggle for survival.
Captive - Sept 18 The true story of Ashley Smith (Mara), a single mother and recovering drug addict who was taken hostage in her own apartment by fugitive, murderer and accused rapist Brian Nichols (Oyelowo). With her back against the wall, Smith turned to the personal spiritual journey of Rick Warren’s best-selling book The Purpose Driven Life in an attempt to survive and help Brian find a better way out.
The Intern - Sept 25 In The Intern, Robert De Niro stars as Ben Whittaker, a 70-year-old widower who has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway).
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UNITE TO FINISH THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk is October 18
The American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk will be held Sunday, October 18 at Frontier Field in Rochester, and will unite the community with a shared determination to finish the fight against breast cancer. Registration for this noncompetitive, inspirational event begins at 8:30am and the walk is set to start at 10am. Dollars raised enable the Society to fund groundbreaking breast cancer research; provide free, comprehensive information and support to those touched by the disease; and help people take steps to reduce their breast cancer risk or find it early when it’s most treatable. Since 1993, more than 11 million supporters have raised more than $685 million nationwide. Last year, 10,000 walkers in the greater Rochester community helped to raise more than 650,000. According to the American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2015, an estimated 231,840 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and an estimated 40,290 will die from the disease this year. “Uniting with others at the Making Strides walk gives us power to make a real difference in the fight to end breast cancer,” said Michael Crisona, senior market manager for the American Cancer Society. “At the event, we are able to celebrate survivorship and pay a meaningful tribute to those touched by the disease. Thanks to participants, the American Cancer Society is there for those who are currently dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis, those who may face a diagnosis in the future, and those who may avoid a diagnosis altogether because of education and risk reduction.” To learn more about the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event and how you can become involved, visit MakingStridesWalk.org/Rochester or contact Amanda Gozigan at 585-2244917 or RochesterNYStrides@cancer.org.
HERSCHEL WALKER TO DELIVER KEYNOTE SPEECH AT 2015 EAST HOUSE HOPE AND RECOVERY LUNCHEON East House, a private, non-profit rehabilitation agency serving individuals with mental health and substance use disorders, announced today that famed former NFL running back and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker will be the keynote speaker at the 2015 Hope and Recovery Luncheon. The luncheon will be held at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center on Tuesday, September 29 at 11:30 a.m. The annual event celebrates and raises awareness about the efforts of individuals who live satisfying and productive lives in recovery. “East House is proud to welcome Herschel Walker as the keynote speaker for the seventh annual Hope and Recovery Luncheon,” said Greg Soehner, president and chief executive officer of East House. “Herschel’s inspirational story will resonate with the greater community and continue our mission to break down the stigma associated with mental health disorders.” Herschel Walker is one of the most recognizable running backs in football history. At the University of Georgia, he led his team to the Sugar Bowl in his freshman and junior years, and was awarded the 1982 Heisman Trophy. Throughout his 126-year NFL career, Walker played for the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles. Upon his retirement in 1997, Walker was one of the league’s top running backs, gaining more yards than anyone in professional football history at the time, counting his seasons in both the NFL and USFL. Walker is also the author of Breaking Free, a memoir in which he shares the inspiring story of his life and diagnosis with dissociative identity disorder (DID) – from the joys and hardships of childhood, to his explosive impact on college football, to his remarkable professional career. He gives voice and hope to those suffering from DID. Walker shows how this disorder played an integral role in his accomplishments and how he has learned to live with it. His compelling account testifies to the strength of the human spirit and its ability to overcome any challenge. Tickets for the luncheon are available for $60 for an individual seat and $130 for the VIP reception, which offers an opportunity to meet Mr. Walker, and luncheon. For more information about how to purchase a seat or sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.easthouse.org or call 585.238.4800.
chatter ::PLATTER
Ox & Stone Latin fusion and flavor in Rochester’s East End
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BY SOFIA TOKAR | PHOTOS BY BRANDON VICK Food should be a social experience. Although restaurants thrive on high turnover, there is something delightfully indulgent about lingering over a meal for hours at a time. You can do so (relatively) guilt-free at a place like Ox and Stone, which bills itself as a Latin kitchen, social house, and cocktail parlor. Housed in an 1880s mansion in downtown Rochester’s East End, the restaurant boasts plenty of room—inside and out, upstairs and down. The building’s original architectural flourishes, including archways, cove ceilings, and fireplaces, drew owner Jonathan Swan to the location, previously home to Bamba Bistro (and Rio Bamba before that). The now-renovated interior—with tiled staircase, antique light fixtures, Spanish- and Mexican-themed artwork—is modern and ambient, yet still welcoming. Swan is also the owner of Dorado on Park Avenu e and The Daily Refresher, across from Ox and Stone on Alexander Street. Open for more than a year now, his latest venture combines the former’s Latin fusion cuisine with the latter’s commitment to quality craft cocktails and beverages. The end result is the best of both worlds. “It was important to me that we offer a menu complemented by the drinks list,” Swan explains. However, he decided not to limit the bar’s selection to tequila, Spanish wines, or Latin American beers. “We flirt with a Latin flare and flavor s, but we don’t ignore other alcohols, especially since all of our bartenders make delicious, balanced cocktails.” On a recent visit, bar manager Kevin Wade made one of his signature concoctions: the Local Celebrity, named after the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman. It is a gloriously drinkable cocktail made with Don Diego Santa Reposado Tequila, Domaine de Canton (ginger-flavored liqueur), egg white, fresh ginger, lime, and sugar. It’s my new favorite drink, and one I insist all my out-of-town guests try. “The cocktail movement has been very good to us,” Swan explains, “and people in Rochester appreciate what we do. They’re also a lot more experimental than I would have expected.” Ox and Stone’s clientele have embraced and devoured everything fr om traditional Latin menu items such as paella and tacos, to the more outré options of crickets and pig ears. Although I can’t vouch for the crickets yet, the paella is beautiful to behold and terrific to taste. Made with mussels, chorizo, shrimp, free-range chicken, smoked tomato, and saffron, guests can choose from single-size servings up to batches made for a dozen diners and delivered in a 30-inch pan. The Chef’s Board, an artistic spread of charcuterie, cheeses, vegetables, and then some, is another crowd-pleaser, one best enjoyed en masse. The goal? Sit, talk, eat, drink, enjoy, repeat. “It’s about the whole experience of a meal,” says Swan. Sometimes—especially at lunchtimes—time is of the essence. Ox and Stone has an ingenious solution to this very American dilemma: In and Out Lunches. If you’ve got 30 minutes and $9.75, make it a priority to try this meal deal. I sampled the Cuban sandwich (pulled pork, sliced ham, Dijon mustard, gremolata, mancheg o cheese) served alongside fresh-cut fries and homemade chips with salsa rojo. Everything was perfectly seasoned, unbelievably filling, and outstandingly good. The menu combines Swan’s vision with head chef Robin Bannister’s culinary skills. Bannister (also Swan’s mother) is aided in the kitchen by sous chefs Kelly McDonald and Matthew Adrian. “Our kitchen has a creative atmosphere and Robin’s open to new ideas,” says McDonald. “With the revitalization of the food industry in Rochester, it’s a great time to work in a restaurant like this one.” Indeed, Rochester is experiencing something of a food renaissance, due in part to places like Ox and Stone and people like Swan and Bannister, among others. “Rochester has been starved for a superior dining experience,” contends Swan. Although the city and region aren’t typically on the cutting edge of culinary innovation, there is nonetheless a genuine desire and appreciation for high quality, flavorful meals and beverages. Having traveled the country and globe, Swan and Bannister learned how different people and cultures appreciate mealtimes. That’s why Swan believes that “with a place like Ox and Stone, it’s our chance to carve out pieces of other cities and bring them to Rochester for people to experience.” 282 Alexander Street, Rochester, NY 14607. 585-287-6933. www.oxandstone.com
ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM :: SEPTEMBER 2015
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forward :FASHION
GROW UP
BY JOAN E. LINCOLN Are you a middle-aged fashionista who just doesn’t know when to quit? I have a few suggestions how to “Grow Up” through Fashion? Age is nothing but a number, until it comes to clothing. In this case, it acts as a helpful reminder that you’ve outgrown the latest trends — there’s nothing worse than showing up to a PTA meeting and looking more like one of the students than the parent running it. So as the age gap begins to grow, your aversion for uber-trendy outfits that max out at $20 — and cost even less to make — should, too. Worried you’re committing one of these fashion mistakes? Educate yourself on what is acceptable for a woman your age, shape and profession. Perhaps you went to college and now your a career woman. Forever 21 doesn’t cut it anymore and you’re lost in a sea of fabric. What to do? What to wear? The flouncy BOHO free-spirited low quality garments from many similar retailers are adjusting their styles and sizes to adjust and keep the fashion attention of their customers even though they aren’t “21” anymore. Several fashion retailers built their businesses around the shopping habits of this Forever...group. Millennials are shopping fanatics! Only they aren’t staying “21”. This Project Runway generation have been a fashion-obsessed generation. They are also the biggest and most diverse representing one third of the population. They come of age hanging out at the malls. Women are always searching for a way to individualize their 9 to 5 styles. Many smart retailers are changing their marketing to keep on track with their aging client. Using the allure of a more mature advertising campaign and adding silhouettes that take their aging clients from their college days to their new “adult” career and young families.
Already!
process and don’t realize the mistakes they are making prancing around in inappropriate attire. I’m all for individuality with style with flair, but there comes a time when you really have to look at yourselves ladies and ask yourself, “Does this represent me well”?
1). GIANT HOBO BAGS
Retire by: 50, Stop hiding behind that slouchy oversized handbag! By this age you don’t need to carry around as much “stuff” anyways. Oversized, slouchy, embellished hobo bags that fit a week’s worth of clothes and beauty products are growing as quickly in size as they are in popularity. But the second-rate fabrics, distracting patterns, floor-length fringes and potato sack sizes are too much to incorporate into a timeless look. My suggestion: Replace it with a more practical designer clutch. You may not fit as much, but the purse will last longer and make any outfit look more refined, whether your destination is a gala or a game.
2). ‘STRIPPER HEELS’ AND OTHER UNREASONABLE FOOTWEAR, LIKE SPICE-GIRL ERA PLATFORMS OUT-OUT-OUT!
Retire these by: mid-40s and don’t ever pose in a picture with your one knee bent and your foot raised. Reserve that for that forever kind of love - that one “kiss” but allowing yourself to be photographed in this pose every single time sends the wrong message. Sky-high “stripper heels” should be left to the 20-something-year-olds. This also applies to uber-trendy thigh-high boots and knee-length gladiator sandals. These costume shoes are impractical additions to a mature wardrobe and result more often in blisters than fashion envy. My suggestion: Replace bottom-shelf stilettos with designer labels that flawlessly marry comfort with chic styles. Not to mention the latter can be worn for longer than two hours.
The navy blue blazer is not dead, it’s just being reinvented. A staple item for most, this classic is being offered in numerous shapes, styles and more forgiving silhouettes to grow up with fashion. The verdict is still out for many who have graduated from college and realize they aren’t “21” anymore and the fashions that once adorned their selfies on social media are not quite the image for their corporate job. After all they have to dress the part so they can generate a paycheck that will allow them to begin paying back those student loans!
Ok so we all break the rules a little, but there is an appropriate time when to break the rules. Not all rules are meant to be broken, but most can be tastefully bent. Take a look into the closet and get rid of items you’re questioning, purge and detoxify but don’t be afraid to keep the pieces you can’t live without. Can’t give up the short skirt that first caught your beau’s eye? Try pairing it with tights. Is your favorite top too-tight for comfort? Pair it with that classic navy blazer I mentioned,
But this Project Runway Generation is just part of the “Grow Up Already” equation. There are many, and I mean many, women who fight the aging 10 SEPTEMBER 2015 :: ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM
...live life with Panache!
My suggestion: When in doubt, err on the side of timeless fashion.
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SEPTEMBER 2015 :: ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM
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BY JILL BURRESS I PHOTO BY BRANDON VICK
Uh oh, it’s already time to go school shopping? I dread shopping for those colored folders every year, you know the ones the school says your child has to have but when you go looking for them they have every color but the one you need! And do our kids really need a new pair of sneakers to start the school year? What’s wrong with the sneakers they wore all summer that held up through birthday parties, theme parks, and river walking? Just because they smell a bit doesn’t mean that they aren’t good enough to wear back to school wear, right? Through the chaos of school schedules, practices and games lets dig deep ladies, stand strong and find that Wonder Woman spirit…we all have it! But how do we muster all the energy needed to start this new school year? I work a full-time jo b; have a husband to love; two awesome kids to feed and hang with; a house to clean and a body that will fall out of shape if I don’t tend to it. So, how do I keep life in balance? How do I stay fit mentally, spiritually and physically? As for me the answer is establishing priorities, planning ahead and sticking with a routine. I have found that my life runs smoother if I take a proactive approach to life rather than reactive. Yes, there are times when I take on too much and have to stop and re-evaluate…this includes pruning and reshaping schedules to allow for margins in my life. These margins are what keep me sane. To give you a glimpse into my life something just happened to me yesterday… I was in Wal-Mart with my daughter searching for something and walked by the school supplies. I said to my daughter, “Oh geesh, it’s that time already? We need to get your list of supplies and do this soon!” Immediately after saying it, I ran into another mom I knew who was school shopping with her kids…three weeks before the first day of school (super mom!). Chatting with her made me think that I should be more prepared and now I have to squeeze school shopping into my busy schedule as I start work full time in four days! Well, upon arriving home, I had my daughter check our cabinet stocked with school supplies and guess what? We have everything we need to launch into 7th grade! I even found every single colored folder necessary for my fourth grader! Wow, yes, mission complete. I had planned for this day during the previous school year and I completely forgot I did it! Ladies, it’s okay t o start our Christmas shopping in January, buy the birthday card for Dad a couple months early and set aside your white elephant gift during the year so you don’t have to rush around panicking about what to bring to the annual holiday party. Just make sure you remember you did it because these simple things make life easier. Amidst all this planning, juggling and spending, do you realize that God gave you what it takes to be this Wonder Woman too! The Psalmist said, “I will offer You my grateful heart, for I am your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe. You have approached even the smallest details with excellence; Your works are wonderful; I carry this knowledge deep within my soul.” This means you are “unique”, exceptional and irreplaceable.
We should live a life filled with wonder and awe of the gifts and talents we have. God made us women with the talent to not just survive this life but thrive! I don’t know about you, but I am encouraged to do everything I do with excellence…if God can approach even the smallest details with excellence and He is my example, then I will do my best to do the same. So, what does this look like in real life?
Well, first I consider my priorities in life. What I place at the top of my list should be something that I make time for every day. For me, God is my first priority and He blesses me for sticking to my faith through the good and the ugly in life. Next, of course, is my husband and family. Making that quality time, keeping my home in order while at that same time working a full-time job is not an easy task ladies, right? As for me, I choose to schedule time for my health and fitness during the week. Last month I talked about fitness and planning regarding healthy meals. My encouragement to you is to make time for yourself to stay healthy so you can muster up all the energy necessary to thrive in this life. People think I’m crazy for waking up at 5 am to workout three days a week, but that is the time that works for me. Find what works for you and schedule the time for your own fitness! You are welcome to join us to exercise for free at our community center which has a variety of times offered to accommodate most schedules. If you cannot get to a gym there are so many apps and websites that offer time-savin g home workouts for free. (My personal favorite is Body Rock) Just do some digging and find a workout that you can stick with. Remember taking care of your body is a lifestyle, not a quick fix. As for planning meals, on Sunday afternoons, I take an hour to make my lunches for the week. My husband jokes that I take more time prepping my meals than I do eating them. Probably true, but it works for me. Find what works for you! Have you ever thought about planning your meals for the month? Collect your family’s favorite recipes or if you are like my family, at least three people have to like a meal because there aren’t many that all four of us enjoy. Sad, but true when you have a child who won’t eat cheese….can anyone sympathize with me? My family did this meal rotation for about a year and it helped us budget for meals and you never saw me standing in the stocked pantry asking myself “what should we have for dinner tonight?” So as you jump into the school year, consider your priorities and planning ahead so you can be proactive about life. Things flow much easier this way…oh and by the way, my husband called me yesterday and asked me what I thought about buying the kids new sneakers for school because my son’s toes were wiggling out the top. Oops, didn’t plan on that happening! Please check out my blog and share your thoughts on how you plan to thrive this new school year! www.inspiringwonderwomen.blogspot.com Jill Burress is a full-time Speech-Language Pathologist at NTID/RIT along with another full-time schedule of “randomness”. She is passionate about inspiring women to be the best they can be! Find her on Facebook and check out the free fitness classes available at Victory Church at discovervictory.com.
Embrace. Educate. Empower.
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{RE AC H H IG H E R}at Roberts
it!
::SHIFT+CONTROL ::SNAP OUT OF
it!
:SNAP OUT OF,
dreams
SI SF SIF
NEVER CRUSH A CHILD’S BY MARGARET MADIGAN
When I was growing up, going to college was not optional… it was mandatory. My parents graduated from Penn State University in 1948 and 1949. I am the youngest of six children and all were college graduates or in college at the time when I was starting the college search process. No pressure, though. Not only was college not optional but neither was going away to school. Living at home and going to college nearby was not an option. Damn, I had demanding parents! On one hand it was nice that my parents wanted us to go out and spread our wings, on the other hand it felt like “Get the hell out of my house!” The other thing my parents were sticklers about, (if that weren’t enough) was choosing a major. I’m not really sure what my brothers and sisters went through, to me their major selection process seemed pretty easy. They all seemed to know what they wanted to do for a living pretty early. I may be completely inaccurate, who knows. Oh don’t get me wrong, I knew what I wanted to do my whole life. I knew from an early age. I’m talking from nursery school on, I knew what I wanted to do. However… it wasn’t acceptable.
a paycheck after they are done with college too. I don’t want four years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to be all for naught. However, ya’ know, the wording… They did work on finding me an alternative. Since my father’s brother had been in broadcasting, first radio then TV, since the 1930’s, they suggested that might be close enough to theatre., and with the advent of cable tTV, would be a lucrative business. I chose that thinking I could be the next great DJ or talk show host. Back then in the 80’s you were either a news anchor or radio DJ, and the radio DJ’s just played preprogrammed music that there was no deviation from and all you did was announce the title and artist. No room for my creativity. It wasn’t like in the 70’s where some cool musicophile FM DJ rambled on about the music. So after I got out into the working world, I was disappointed.
See, my parents were very practical, methodical, cautious people. You got a degree in something useful, something that would guarantee you a good living, and if it didn’t guarantee a good living, it still had to be intellectually impressive. Who cares if there are not a lot of jobs requiring a degree in 17th Century Baroque Crockery, it sounds impressive.
So, when it was time for my kids to start thinking college majors, I vowed I was going to be more… sensitive. I started by asking my kids what they love – areas of interest or specific subjects. Also I asked what jobs appealed to them. Then we discussed what subjects they did well in. From there we looked up vocations and what the current demand was in those industries and what the rate of pay was. Many of my friends and other parents feel the availability of jobs and pay rate in a certain field is the only way to choose a major. Any time a major choice is mentioned, their response is “Oh those don’t make anything”. Sorry, but I feel you have to love what you do. As a line in one of my alltime favorite movies Caddyshack goes, “Well the world needs ditch diggers too.” Meaning, there is something for everyone and there is always a need for all types of jobs, even if they aren’t the highest paying.
So, I will never to this day forget the response when I was so excited to tell my parents that I had found some colleges I was interested in that had my major and I couldn’t wait to get started. “Well, what would you like to study, Peg?” (That’s what they called me then) I said, “I just love performing, I want to major in theater!” I was met with a blank stare, then a disapproving look, followed by my father saying, “I’m not paying for you to go to college to become a waitress”.
The key is to talk through it with your kids. Do research. Even have them go to certain places of business and shadow people who do things that they might find interesting. Colleges also offer plenty of opportunities to explore different areas of interests. For instance Rochester Institute of Technology annually offers an event for high school females to explore the fields of science and engineering. Make sure to check into it at your local colleges.
My heart couldn’t have sunk any lower. That was an upper cut to the chin combined with a vomit-inducing gut punch. (Figuratively speaking, my parents never beat me) That’s what it felt like to my heart and soul, though. Obviously, since I still remember it vividly to this day. Oh, I’ve since forgiven my Dad for saying that, ya’ know like just in my heart though, on accounta’ him being deceased and all. But I made a vow… with all that is holy, I will never ever crush my kid’s dreams or make their goals seem stupid.
But first and foremost don’t ever make your child feel like what they are interested in is “stupid”. Here I am at 50 years old and I still vividly remember my parents telling me that acting, as a career was stupid. To a child, what you are interested in is what you are. If you tell them what they are interested in is stupid, they believe they are stupid. Please don’t ever do that. Even if they say, “I’d like to be a stripper” or “I’m going to play in the NFL” or “I want to be a tight rope walker”. No matter how disturbing, unrealistic, or silly it seems, just talk it through. Always encourage a child to believe in their dreams… and it has never ever hurt to think of a sure-fire money making back-up plan either. ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM :: SEPTEMBER 2015 17
I do understand where he was coming from, they wanted what was best for me and didn’t want to see me struggle with not finding a job after I got out. Again with the practical thing. I get it, I want to see my kids earn
woman ::LEADING
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SEPTEMBER 2015 :: ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM
dr. heidi macpherson
::LEADING WOMAN
president
LW
BROCKPORT’S FIRST FEMALE BY ALYSSA JACKSON | PHOTO BY LISA MANCINI
Dr. Heidi Macpherson is the seventh president at The College at Brockport and the first female president that the college has had in over 100 years.
Macpherson comes to upstate New York from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she served as the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Before that, she served in many positions in higher education, from professor to the department head and more. Her decision to apply for the position as president at The College at Brockport was an easy one.
“I saw what Brockport stood for I was very interested because they fit with me,” she said. “They talk a lot about student success and making it a core, and that spoke to me strongly.” For Macpherson, The College at Brockport’s emphasis on student success is manifested through their focus on things like international study, study abroad and research opportunities. These aspects of higher education are aspects that Macpherson has been passionate about throughout her entire career. During her studies at her alma mater, St. Cloud University, Macpherson studied abroad in the United Kingdom, where she met her husband. After graduating with her undergraduate degrees in English and creative writing, she moved to the United Kingdom. She pursued her graduate degree there at the University of Newcastle. Since that time, Macpherson has worked in several different institutions of higher education, particularly in the United Kingdom, before going back to the midwest. She traveled throughout Europe frequently, inspiring her love for travel and for international education. Originally from Granite Falls, Minn., Macpherson got her ticket back to the midwest when she went to the University of WisconsinLa Crosse in 2012. She looks forward to teaching in the United States and using it as an opportunity to continue her travels, but throughout the United States. “I’m someone who is passionately committed to higher education,” Macpherson said. “I’ve worked in it for 20 years and I know what a difference it can make, and I’m extremely passionate about international education as well.” She was closer to her family while she worked in Wisconsin, something she said she will miss about her job there, but she’s focusing on the good. “I’m spending time looking forward to the opportunities here in my new area,” Macpherson said.
Focuses on Student Success When she’s not busy with her career in higher education, Macpherson loves spending time with her husband, Allan, who also works in higher education, and their springer spaniel, Tilly. She enjoys watching live theater, hiking, going out to eat and cooking as well. Work-life balance is important to Macpherson. “Everyone needs to have some time to spend doing what you love,” she said. “I think that’s very important.” Macpherson’s focus in education was on American and Canadian women’s literature, topics she taught on and wrote about several times throughout her career. She has published several books, including “Women’s Movement,” “Courting Failure” and “Transatlantic Women’s Literature.” Her focus on powerful women in history seems particularly appropriate now as she holds the position as the first female president in over 100 years at The College at Brockport. Despite this great honor, she’s focusing on making it so that this type of information isn’t as unusual in the future. “It’s interesting that we still talk about those things,” she commented. “I want to get to a point where it’s not so unusual. If you look around Rochester you see a lot of women in powerful positions. I think that’s really wonderful.” She went on to say that she looks forward to holding this position and inspiring other women to work hard. Mentors, both men and women, have influenced Macpherson to be the person that she is today, and she looks forward to paying back those mentors by holding that position for others. Macpherson expressed her excitement to live in upstate New York for the first time in her life. She first visited the Finger Lakes region approximately eight years ago and she said she loved the region. Like most, she fell in love with the beautiful scenery. “What I like about New York is there’s a ton of natural beauty, but there’s also a lot of art and culture here,” she said. She’s been exploring the area since she moved here in mid-July and has made plans to show her family around the Finger Lakes region when they come to visit. As the new students at Brockport begin to filter in, Macpherson’s thrill grows. Her passion really showed through when she spoke about the upcoming year and interacting with the campus. Although she’s excited, she’s adamant that she will spend her time listening to what the community wants before making any changes.
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words ::IN HER OWN
“In ten days I got to go on a once in a lifetime trip with my sister and very best friend, Julia.”
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SEPTEMBER 2015 :: ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM
connecting } { ::IN HER OWN WORDS
danielle gordon
IW
with my Jewish heritage
BY DANIELLE GORDON, SENIOR AT SUNY GENESEO
Going on Birthright was something I had always planned to do. My cousins had gone andfriends of mine had been on the trip. Each of them said it was the best trip of their life. Hearing this I knew this was something I was going to do, but only with my sister Julia, so we agreed to wait until we were both of age. When I told people that I was going to Israel through Birthright their first response was what is Birthright? Birthright is an organization that sends young Jews ages 18-26 on an educational 10-day trip to Israel for free, yes everything is free. The airfare, hotels, food, and all of our excursions and experiences are provided for us. The next response most people have is to ask why is it all free? The trip is free because the purpose of the trip and experience is to help establish a stronger connection between Jewish communities and the Jewish state of Israel. Because this is so important to them, they believe every Jew who has a desire to enhance this connection should have the opportunity to go. Our trip started when Julia and I arrived at the Philadelphia airport and met the group we would be traveling with. There were 40 of us from across the United States who were nervous and excited about traveling to Israel. When we landed in Israel we found out we would be meeting up with the rest of our group. I remember Julia and I looking at each other confused, who else would be joining us? We had the honor, and I call it an honor because they are seven of the most amazing people I have ever met, to have seven Israeli soldiers, who serve their country in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), join us on our trip. Rather than to go to college after high school, traveling, or working like we do here in the United States, there is a mandatory conscription of all Israeli citizens, male and female into the Israeli army. Israel is the only country in the world that maintains obligatory military services for women. Women serve for one year and nine months and men serve for three years. The Israelis in our group are fighting every day for their country and their existential struggle. For them, the intensity of the conflict is their everyday life. The pride they feel for their country and heritage cannot be described. Our three tour guides provided an unforgettable experience, making sure to show us the best sites, sounds, and tastes the country has to offer. They did a phenomenal job guiding us through the country and all the historical sites. It was the Israelis though, who left the strongest impression on us. Each of them was so willing to answer any and all of our questions whether they were regarding politics, ongoing violence and conflicts with their neighboring countries, or just about their everyday life. Understanding the world through their eyes was one of the best take aways from the trip.
From there we went to the Golan Heights in southwestern Syria which borders Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria during the closing stages of the 1967 Six Day War. When we were at one of the highest points looking out onto Syria we could actually hear the bombs going off from the devastating civil war. I had chills thinking of all the innocent civilians who are suffering so close to us. Next we went to Olea Essence, an olive oil factory that produces one of the world’s best extra virgin olive oils. They also make 100% Natural Skin Care Products, all based on the olive oil they make. We hopped back on our tour bus and headed to the Jordan River where we kayaked, but in Israel kayaking is really rafting in giant inflated rafts similar to the rafts we use here to whitewater raft. Israeli rafting is really seeing how many people you can knock off of their raft into the water. We are now halfway through our trip and went to the famous city of Tel Aviv. Here we went to Tel Aviv’s largest shuk, Shuk HaCarmel. A shuk is a large outdoor marketplace and definitely an Israeli cultural experience. Yes, it is just like the one Carrie Bradshaw and friends ventured to in Abu Dhabi and no we did not get hassled by any men trying to sell us fake Birkins. I forgot to mention we were in Israel during the hottest week of the year so when we heard we were going to the beach after the shuk we were all ready to jump head first into the Mediterranean. At night we got to experience a night out in Tel Aviv, Israel’s answer to a night in the Big Apple. On day six we boarded the bus and drove south to central Israel to the holy city and capital of Jerusalem. We spent the day touring the Old City which has been a place of importance and worship for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. The city has countless significant religious sites including Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, Mount Moriah, AlAksa Mosque, and of course The Western Wall. It was the first time I stood somewhere and could see a temple, church, and mosque all at the same time. The next day we went to Yad Vashem the Holocaust Museum in Israel. Here we had a personal glimpse at the inner world of the victims and how their human dignity was stripped from them. From the moment our bus drove up the mood and feeling dramatically changed, it was very emotional for everyone.
For the first three nights we stayed at a kibbutz which is the Hebrew word for Group. A kibbutz is a voluntary democratic community where the people live and work together on a noncompetitive basis. The idea behind the kibbutz is to create an economically and socially independent society based on communal principles. Here we ventured to one of my favorite small towns, Tsfat which is located in Northern Israel in the mountains of the upper Galilee.
Our next stop was an experience unlike any other and certainly one I will never forget. We arrived at a Bedouin camp in the middle of the Negev Desert. All 47 of us slept in a tent made of goat fur which had a very unique smell. We learned the way of life of the Bedouins, sat in small groups crosslegged on the floor for dinner, finished the night star gazing. In the morning we took a camel ride through the Negev Desert. Next we headed for a float in the Dead Sea, definitely one of my favorite experiences. We were only allowed to stay in the water for 20 minutes at a time, the water felt as hot as the air, but our skin felt so amazing when we got out. As luck would have it, we were in Jerusalem on Friday at sunset. We were among thousands of Jews of all different beliefs and backgrounds gathered at the Kotel to welcome the Sabbath. Being a the Western Wall for Shabbat was a moment I will never forget.
Tsfat is one of Israel’s best kept secrets and one of the four holy cities in the country. Beautiful cobblestone alleys are home to artists’ galleries, medieval synagogues, private residences, and delicious bakeries and restaurants. The following day we went to the very northern part of Israel to the breathtaking white cliffs of Rosh Hanikra right on the Mediterranean Coast where we could actually see the border of Lebanon. Here we took a cable car ride down the 210 foot cliffto walk through the caverns tunnels where we saw the famous grottos of the Mediterranean Sea.
In ten days, I traveled from North to South of one of the most beautiful countries in the world. In ten days, I made friends that I know will last a lifetime. Whether I am in Chicago, California, Boston, or Israel I know I could call any one of them and they would welcome me with open arms. In ten days, I learned more about an entire culture and its people then I could have in all my years of education in a classroom setting and I thank each of my Israeli friends for that. In ten days, I got to go on a once in a lifetime trip with my sister and very best friend, Julia.
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SEPTEMBER 2015 :: ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM
DEDICATED TO SERVICE
::SPECIAL
feature
TO
OTHERS Sometimes, just a little bit of information about people’s pasts can give us clues as to how they became who they are today. Where someone grew up, early experiences, what the world was like– these all offer a glimpse into how people may have chosen their occupations and what may have spawned their interests. For Sandy Frankel, former Brighton Town Supervisor and the Democratic party’s candidate for the 2016 election for Monroe County Executive, growing up in the southern United States prior to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 most certainly helped lay the groundwork for a life distinguished by service to others. “The environment was one of legal segregation,” Frankel explains of her childhood and early adulthood living in Miami Beach, Florida. That inequality profoundly bothered Frankel, particularly as it was supported and perpetuated by laws. Not one to simply “tsk tsk” and go about her day, Frankel actively joined the civil rights movement as a young woman. “I sat in at Woolworths, I participated in marches, I sat in the back of the bus,” says Frankel. “That sparked in me a lifelong desire to work to better my community and to improve people’s lives.” After college, Frankel attended graduate school for speech-language pathology at Northwestern, where she met her husband, Neil. The pair moved to California, where Neil, an engineer, worked on the first Apollo mission to space. Frankel’s sense of altruism became apparent again in her early career addressing and treating the needs of language-affected children. Those experiences in turn alerted her to broader issues regarding early childhood intervention. “I understand quite well the importance of early childhood education and care, both for the benefits to children’s learning and the importance of childcare for parents’ ability to work,” Frankel explains. After living in a few communities in California, the Frankels relocated to Philadelphia. In 1977, a position at Xerox for Neil brought the Frankels and three young children to Rochester. The family settled in Brighton, where the elder Frankels, now emptynesters, still reside. Of course, after even a surface perusal at Frankel’s background and community activism, it seems a no-brainer that she became involved in local politics. And yet, in 1989, when Frankel was asked by the local Democratic party to run for supervisor of the town of Brighton, it wasn’t something she had thought about. “I was very happy with our lives, raising our children and doing work that I valued and enjoyed both professionally and in the community.” But Frankel saw some needs in her town “that hadn’t been addressed in a long time,” she says. “[Brighton] seemed to be fraying at the edges... I thought, If I can be a voice to help advance and help the town improve, I wanted to do that.” So, Frankel put her name on the ballot for what promised to be a tough race. At the time, Brighton’s voter registration was mostly republican. In fact, the town had never had a democrat as the supervisor. “People didn’t give me a ghost of a chance,” said Frankel. And indeed, she lost that election. “But it was a very close race,” she said.
And it was hardly all for naught for Frankel, who was gratified that some of the issues she had brought up during her campaign were getting attention. She continued to talk about those issues until 1991 when she again ran for Brighton town supervisor. This time, she was successful. “I was the first woman and first democrat in the town’s 77-year history [to be elected supervisor],” Frankel says. Her first order of business? “Put the town’s fiscal house in order,” says Frankel. “We had inherited a major financial problem. Auditors said there was the potential threat of a credit rating downgrade, which would have made borrowing more expensive.” “It wasn’t easy,” she continues, “but we got the cooperation of the town’s labor unions and the support of the citizens... We did have to raise taxes in that first budget year in order to restore fiscal integrity and responsibility. Thereafter we were able to cut taxes five times. We earned a Moody’s credit rating upgrade... and were then able to move forward to implement the dreams and wishes of the community.” Those wishes included the development of a townwide park system, a new library, and infrastructure improvements like fixing sidewalks. “People were tripping and injuries were occurring,” said Frankel. Frankel is happy with the legacy she left in Brighton in 2011 when she retired from the supervisor position. “The town was in great shape. Property values were strong and had been maintained because of what we invested in the community. And those investments were supported by the voters in referenda. This was not a top-down approach. This was a grassroots effort.” That same year, Frankel ran for Monroe County Executive against popular incumbent Maggie Brooks. “I did well, but not well enough,” says Frankel of that election. And yet, much like her first lost election in Brighton, “I thought at that time I brought issues to the fore that needed to be discussed in an open way.” Among those issues were fiscal concerns and what Frankel calls “restoring trust, ensuring integrity, and setting high standards” after a series of well-publicized questionable practices and scandals at the county. “My style of government is to ensure that it is open, transparent and accountable,” says Frankel. “I think there’s a critical need... to implement sound management practices that provide oversight and accountability so that we don’t see the kind of problems we’ve experienced.” Again echoing her early experiences as a youth in Florida, Frankel stresses a need to be involved. “You can’t stand by and watch these things happen and not speak out,” she explains. “Leadership requires someone who will stand strong and address difficult problems and find solutions.” Rome Celli of Brighton, who has worked with Frankel as a community volunteer and as her field operation coordinator in her first campaign for county executive, believes Frankel possesses that strength. “She is tenacious without being bullheaded or stubborn,” says Celli. Louise Slaughter, House Representative for New York’s 25th district, is also bullish on Frankel. “Her experience as Supervisor for the town of Brighton speaks for itself,” says Slaughter.
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sandy frankel
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PRINT PUBLISHING’S IMPOSING FUTURE ::COVER
story
merging print
&
digital technologies
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SEPTEMBER 2015 :: ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM
::COVER BY ANDREA HICKERSON | PHOTOS BY TODD ELLIOTT There aren’t many female entrepreneurs in the tech industry and I didn’t expect to be one. I also didn’t expect that my undergraduate degree in newspaper journalism would sound so old-fashioned at age 35. Yet, here I am, a journalism professor at RIT preparing my students to produce dynamic media content in a time where media and technology are almost synonymous, and I’m getting in the game too. Together with fellow RIT professor, Elena Fedorovskaya, the Paul and Louise Miller Distinguished Professor in the School of Media Sciences, I’m launching Hazel Transmedia Laboratories to develop technologies that engage audiences across print, digital and virtual platforms. We have a patent pending on our first product, and we plan to develop a series of publishing technologies integrating print publishing with virtual and augmented reality through personal and wearable digital devices.
story
Sciences and I am in School of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts. The journalism program at RIT, housed in the School of Communication, is only six years old and often people are surprised to learn it exists. A little explanation about how technical skills and business acumen drive readership and content delivery, and it starts to seem like a no brainer. The journalism program merely capitalizes on RIT’s existing strengths. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation was quick to realize the potential of a journalism program at RIT. I’ve received two grants from the foundation, along with my colleague in RIT’s Saunders College of Business, Vic Perotti. My current grant supports the foundation of a Digital Journalism Incubator, which unites students from all majors across RIT to experiment with new technology in the service of journalism.
While the majority of media companies have invested heavily in digital content alone, it is our position that the death of print media is cliché and overstated.
Over the past year, Elena and I have had our own interdisciplinary team of students from software engineering, computer science, computer engineering and media science involved in our research. We’ve selected seven students to work with, but over 100 students have applied.
People still value print, as evidenced by the continued demand for niche magazines and even the added value my students place on seeing their bylines in print rather than online only.
Students love the idea of working in a digital skunkworks with cutting-edge augmented and virtual reality machines, including Google Glass and the Samsung Gear VR, a virtual reality headset, at the ready.
Our first product, RocReadaR, designed specifically for magazines, makes icons in printed text portals to supplementary digital content, like videos and podcasts, accessed by hovering your smartphone or other portal digital device over the text. The supplementary content allows journalists to seamlessly tell stories across media platforms and creates new points of contact for advertisers. What’s more, our application can provide new analytics to print publishers and advertisers, capturing hard data they can only speculate about now. We have a working prototype that we’ve tested on an internal RIT publication. We continue to test our functionality and its ability to meet publishers’ needs in preparation for an official real-world test later this academic year. We have chosen Rochester Woman Magazine to as a vehicle to help facilitate our real-world testing.
INTERDISCIPLINARY POWER = A POWERFUL PRODUCT Like myself, Elena has roots in print, but from the technological rather than the editorial side. Elena worked as a research scientist at Kodak for 16 years. She has almost 5 0 patents and is a member of the Kodak Distinguished Inventor’s Gallery. Elena had the basic idea for a system like RocReadaR before coming to RIT, but she approached me to join her because of my activities related to journalism innovation. “It was important that this project be interdisciplinary,” Elena said. “Technology is a means to provide communication. “ Not only are Elena and I in different schools at RIT, we are in different colleges. She is in the College of Imaging Arts and
CS
Tousif Ahmed, an undergraduate computer engineering major on our team, likens our lab to Tony Stark’s from Iron Man. Suresh Jothilingam and Nimish Parikh are graduate students in computer science and software engineering, respectively. Jothilingam was drawn to our research because of its emphasis on Android and web development. Parikh said it was our desire to blend data analytics and augmented reality that spoke to him. “I had never seen those two things come together before,” he said. Ahmed was also excited about working with augmented reality but was surprised to find conversations with his father, a newspaper editor in Bangladesh, suddenly relevant. “My dad would show me a fresh copy of the paper at midnight and go over why the layouts are the way they are,” he said. Now he applies those lessons to experimenting with how the printed page can best be laid out to motivate readers to access additional related digital content on their smartphones. However, for us, Ahmed noted, print design is more scientific than experiential. We are supervising students to conduct a number of experiments to see what readers enjoy and what captures their attention. We’ve had students conduct interviews and monitor eye-tracking with potential users. So far our results indicate even millennials are interested in technology that seamlessly transports users from print to digital platforms, therefore potentially opening traditional print publications to newer, younger audiences.
TEACHING TEACHERS
Primarily trained as researchers and teachers, Elena and I are constantly trying to demystify the process of turning our research into a business.
ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM :: SEPTEMBER 2015
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story ::COVER Sometimes Elena and I work over lunch in the RIT cafeteria, making lists of ever-evolving things we need to do, or staring into space, our faces scrunched up in thought, trying to solve a problem.
and successful business models, not to mention the trial and error involved in building our prototype in addition to our regular research and teaching responsibilities, is challenging.
One day she told me: “If it isn’t fun, we aren’t going to do it.”
However, Elena and I are used to complicated projects and multitasking. We have five sons between us. Wolcott said the biggest mistakes some teams make are not listening to clients and working on ineffective teams.
So far it has been fun, in large part because we’ve had so many resources available to us as we look to monetize our first product. In 2014, RIT received $300,000 from the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program to train faculty to bring their products to market . Already adept at fostering student entrepreneurial teams, of which some 100 cycle through RIT each year, the I-Corp grant provided extra training and attention to RIT faculty. Elena and I were among the first faculty cohorts to participate in the RIT I-Corp program. “We don’t expect all the teams to become businesses, but our goal is to create culture change for faculty to think about their research in a different way,” said Richard DeMartino, endowed chair and director of the Simone Center for Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship at RIT and associate professor in Saunders College of Business. Among his many hats, DeMartino supervises the I-Corp program at RIT. Throughout our I-Corp training, Elena and I learned about customer discovery and business models. We were also matched with a business coach, Dana Wolcott. RIT’s lead innovation coach, Wolcott worked at Kodak for 38 years in advanced development, charged with shepherding products developed in the company’s research lab into marketable hardware. Wolcott is our reality check. He is the one who pushes us when we are uncomfortable and encourages us when we start to have doubts. “Print media is looking for something. Your timing is right,” he told us recently, right after warning us how difficult it is for new companies to raise cash. Wrapping our heads around intellectual property, customer discovery,
I’ve found my journalism background, specifically m y background in interviewing is well suited to customer and industry discovery. Elena’s experience with technical requirements and digital product development is the perfect complement. Our immediate next steps are to continue testing our product while applying for additional grants and funds, including competing for space in a national I-Corp cohort. Although we’ve had promising conversations with potential clients in the publishing industry and test users in our experiments show a readiness to adopt our technology, we know 90% of start-up companies fail. As teachers and scholars, well versed in experimentation, modification, and even failure, we anticipate false starts and reinventions. Having the support and training of RIT programs and students, our personal risk is low. If Hazel Transmedia fails to turn a profit, we still have our day jobs. Already, though, the I-Corp program motivated us to change the desired output of our research from journal articles only to products that meet the public’s needs. By focusing on technology and publishing, we hold on to the theoretical desire that figuring out how to engage people with good information can lead to a more robust democracy. Like DeMartino said about the I-Corp program in general, “Our goal isn’t only to make multimillion dollar businesses. Our goal is to give people a tool for the rest of their lives.”
ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM :: SEPTEMBER 2015
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THATS RIGHT FOR BY STEPHEN COMELLA, MD
You!
One of the things I enjoy most about what we do at Comella Health & Wellness is nutrition management. In fact, I would go so far as to say of all the services that we offer, nutritional programming is “nearest and dearest” to my heart.. It’s also one of the most complex and multifaceted things to design for someone. This is mainly because of the fact that there is simply no such thing as ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to nutrition. Instead, each program needs to be carefully crafted and tailored to each individual person. Whether your goal is weight loss, muscle building, training for a specific sporting event, or just wanting to live healthier, the true key to your success lies in a sound nutrition plan built just for YOU and designed around YOUR daily life. As many of you know, the topic of healthy eating, dieting, and nutrition is so vast and complex that I could write a ten-page article and still only scratch the surface. So for the sake of everyone’s sanity who is reading this, I will share with you only a small part of what I do with my clients who are just starting out.
Almost universally and no matter what the goal may be, the first thing people say to me is, “Ok, tell me everything to eat starting tomorrow morning and I will do it.” And almost universally my response is that completely overhauling every phase of your diet in one big swing is a sure-fire way to sabotage your ultimate goal! Changing the foods you eat and when you eat them IS an important step to reaching your goal, but believe it or not, it’s not the first thing we do. The first step, in fact, is to clearly state the goal that is trying to be achieved. Whether it’s dropping ten pounds, gaining ten pounds, or just wanting to live healthier. Knowing what you want is the key to actually getting what you want. This sounds simple, and many times it is, but ultimately it’s important for the big overriding lesson that comes next and what I consider to be the key to any sound nutrition program. And that lesson I try to instill in my patients’ head is “perspective”. It is what I consider to be the key
to success ( or failure ) and I make sure that everyone I counsel knows how important this one word is when it comes to reaching their ultimate goal. We talk about perspective in our first meeting and we continue to talk about it at regular intervals. Perspective can be about how you view yourself or how you perceive the way others view you. It is also about proving something to yourself or achieving something that you never thought possible. Someone’s perspective will often evolve and change as their journey towards nutritional wellness progresses, and that’s ok, as long as you never lose sight of it. Because no matter how strong you are, healthy eating and dieting ( I am NOT a big fan of the word, dieting) will become challenging at some point. Having the right perspective and being conscious of it will give you the power to motor through the difficult times when reaching your goal seems too far away to achieve. Remember, anyone can tell you what foods to eat and when to eat them. If it were that simple, then everyone would look the way they want to look.
It’s one of the main points I try to drive home when I first sit down with someone who wants nutrition advice. Once I feel like I have clearly established a healthy perspective with someone, then and only then do we tackle the complicated issue of what types of food to eat and when to eat them. But that’s a topic for another day. So no matter what your looking to achieve when it comes to healthy eating my advice to you is this, find a healthy perspective, recognize it, and check in with it often to make sure you are heading in the direction of your ultimate goal(s). Stephen Comella M.D. is a Board Certified Physician Anesthesiologist and CEO/President of Comella Health and Wellness, PLLC. for more information visit www.comellahealth.com
ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM :: SEPTEMBER 2015
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flavorable women ::FIT & FOR ::TIPS
dashboard
DON’T IGNORE THAT GLOW ON YOUR Driving your car is great when things run smoothly. Most of us rely on our cars each and every day. How else are we going to get to the gym, work, school, practice, shopping… the list goes on and on. A day stranded without a car is like a year on a desert island! Relying on friends, family or even public transportation to get you where you need to go. Taking control of your car’s well being will help you avoid future headaches and trouble. Here are a few tips every woman who owns a car should know to save time, money and keep you safe.
THREE SIMPLE TIPS: 1) Know how to read the Gauges on your vehicle dashboard.
Be sure to buy a car with the owner’s manual, or if it is missing ask the dealer or go online to the manufacturer’s website to order one. Here you will find the meaning behind the lights on your dashboard or bells and sounds that indicate if something needs to be checked, maintained or repaired. Do not ignore these signals. Unlike children who may often cry wolf, your car doesn’t lie. If the light comes on it could mean check me, burp me, feed me, or clean me. Get your manual and see which it is. If you cannot figure it out, stop by the dealership and ask a technician to take a look. They are happy to help.
2) Check Engine Fluids Regularly.
This is one of the best ways to keep your car running smoothly. Cars are like people; we take in food and fluids for nourishment and to keep our bodies moving. It’s the same with cars. They do not run forever without being replenished. The four fluids to keep an eye on are brake, oil, radiator, and power steering. Some vehicles may require you to take it to a professional to be topped off so it’s best to ask in advance when you are in for regular maintenance.
3) Starting a Vehicle with a Dead Battery.
It’s a common mistake to leave a light on in the car and return to find a battery that won’t start. It always happens at the absolute worst time!
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You do not have to be stranded or wait hours for help if you own a pair of jumper cables and keep them in your car. Every woman should know how to use a pair of jumper cables to start a car with a dead battery. To do this, attach the positive terminal of your battery to the positive terminal of a working vehicle’s battery. Then, attach the negative terminals and start the working vehicle. This transfers enough power to your vehicle to get it to start. If you can start your car, let it run for approximately 30 minutes, which is enough to charge most car batteries sufficiently. Your battery should not die frequently, so if your vehicle’s battery dies consistently, you should contact a professional technician and have it checked. Batteries do not last forever and it might be time for a new one. Those are the basics that will help insure your safety and the longevity of your vehicle. Paying attention to a few other details is simple if you make it a habit like getting your hair and nails done. Most reputable service centers offer a free brake inspection with an oil change. Think about all the times you slam on the brakes. They take a lot of abuse and eventually need to be replaced. Another common part that should be replaced at least once a year is your car’s wipers. Driving through a rainstorm is not the time to realize you should have spent the extra money on new wipers. Be sure your headlights are clean, bright and pointed in the right direction. After all, who doesn’t like to see and be seen! When we talk about belts and hoses we don’t mean fashion accessories, but essential parts of your car. Just like a pair of your favorite running shoes, they get worn out and will need to be replaced periodically. Remember ladies; don’t ignore the glow on your dashboard indicating it’s time for service. You may think it is a hassle to be without a car for a few hours, but it sure beats unnecessary bills and lengthy repairs. Preventative maintenance is essential to proper and safe performance and will keep you and your family safe. Submitted by Ralph Honda, 3939 West Ridge Rd., www.RalphHonda.com
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matters :LOCAL BUSINESS
{ friendship } a place for food, laughter and
BY REBECCA L. FERGUSON | PHOTO BY GILMORE HAYLE “There are few hours more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” – Henry James
Maureen Becker’s love for life, palpable connections with people (and laughter, always laughter) have set her on a path to incorporating a creative business plan with the things that bring her joy. With an extroverted personality and empathic heart, Becker has always had a natural and sincere way with people. Having pursued her interests within the food industry, Becker has truly arrived as the owner of the beloved La-Tea-Da. Adventurous and willing try her hand at new things, Becker had teamed with her cousin in 2001 to operate the Greenhouse café at Sonnenberg Gardens, a job she indeed enjoyed. Sadly, there were unforeseeable events unfolding within Sonnenburg, forcing Becker to move on elsewhere. “I have always wanted to do something that reflects who I am; I just wasn’t sure what,” shares Becker. “I have always loved food and being around people. I wanted to create something fun where people laughed, left their worries at the door, and knew they had a friend.” By sheer kismet, Becker met and became fast friends with Maureen Ruggeri, a tea caterer throughout the nineties, Ruggeri seized every moment to “talk tea.” The synergy between the two women presented an opportunity to take a leap into opening their own café in Spencerport, fusing a tea room atmosphere with sweet treats and café style food. “Low and behold, people started to come! It was all so exciting,” says Becker. Taking the time to talk with customers, giving consideration to all feedback, Becker and Ruggeri (both wildly passionate) had begun to have different visions for the future of the café. “We did a lot of talking about what the future held for the café and realized we just had very different visions for what we wanted, and that was ok!” Becker continued to say, “We gave each other big hugs, went on to pursue our individual dreams and have remained wonderful friends.” One obstacle Becker tackled was location. But after careful consideration, Becker absolutely fell in love with the beautiful purple house
on the corner of Park and Alexander. With a spacious porch, eclectic craftsmanship and a lot of imagination, a magical tea room had been unearthed. For three years following their opening in 2005, La-Tea-Da experienced tremendous success with the business. Both children and parents flocked in to have an Alice in Wonderland experience. Whimsical and silly, an afternoon of make believe with tea and delicious food, the location also served as a popular place for bridal and baby showers.
For ten years, Becker adapted with changes in the economy, brought on a neighboring business to help absorb some of the costs, as well as get creative with advertising methods. Rolling with the coming and going of staff, Becker always found ways to keep laughing and provide each and every customer with their own magical experience. Becker could not have prepared for what came next; no one could. With the birth of a New Year, ready to embrace the challenges and triumphs of 2015, La-Tea-Da was sadly destroyed by an electrical fire. “I was devastated. I remember walking through with the fire chief and thinking everything has been destroyed. Everything!” Emotionally, Becker continued, “All of the china had been smashed. And the clothing… the kids dress up hats and scarves were unable to be salvaged.” Amidst the heartache and total loss, the community reached out immediately to encourage Becker to rebuild. Start again. The donations that were made of furniture, dress up clothes and dining ware, served to be incredibly healing for Becker. So, she continued on. With fate on her side, Becker has found a wonderful location in East Rochester and celebrated her grand re-opening this past July. “East Rochester embraced me; we had a real celebration- the support has been incredible,” Becker tearfully shared, “But can I tell you what means the most? What continues to keep me going? …the woman who walked up on the porch to hand me one teacup and saucer because that was all she had; it’s my customers and I love all of them.” For more information, menu options and hours of operation, please visit La-Tea-Da on Facebook.
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Friday, October 9, 2015 6:30 - 9:30 pm Ferris Hills at West Lake 1 Ferris Hills Drive, Canandaigua
Speakers: Kerry Graff, MD “Mindful Eating: paying attention to what we eat and why we eat it” Kim Tonovits, PT, “Cough, Sneeze, Laugh, Leak”
To purchase your tickets, please call Stephanie at 442.4102 x8944 or visit alsigl.org. Canandaigua, NY
© 2014 Spirit Health Group. All rights reserved.
$10 Spirit Members; $15 Non-Spirit Members To register, visit www.ThompsonHealth.com/Spirit. For more information, call (585) 396-6935.
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LINDA ANDREANO
Fire Commissioner, North Greece Fire District
BY JESSICA GASPAR | PHOTO BY GILMORE HAYLE For Linda Andreano, life hasn’t always been easy. She’s a wife of 23 years and mom to three kids: a 15-year-old daughter and 10-year-old twin boys. As if her family doesn’t keep her busy enough, she runs her own business, Planet Botanica. Prior to that, Linda spent decades as a consultant on worldwide corporate projects. Oh, and add fire commissioner to her list of duties. In 2013, a little more than 10 years after a life-altering brush with death, Linda threw her hat in the ring to be considered for an open seat on the North Greece Fire District’s board of commissioners. In the spring of 2003, Linda felt a sharp pain in her belly. When the pain worsened, Linda called 911. Firefighters and EMTs were on site in no time. “I was internally hemorrhaging, and the first responders … nailed the diagnosis based on their education and experience,” Linda said. They took her to a local hospital through the emergency department. In triage at the ER, I was labeled a middle-aged, obese woman with a gallbladder attack. I was more than 100 pounds heavier than I am now, and I was parked at the back of the line,” she said. Linda was in and out of consciousness. The firefighters and EMTs who took Linda to the hospital stayed with her, fighting for her to receive the attention she required and deserved. They told hospital workers Linda had an ectopic pregnancy and that her situation was critical. No one listened. In the triage room next to Linda, “A pregnant woman with a head cold and no insurance was getting fawned over, and I was taking my last breaths and miscarrying my child. I said my last words to my husband, and I said goodbye,” she recalled. At one point, Linda was unconscious for several minutes. While a surgeon was the one who ultimately saved her life, Linda also credits those who were with her that day. “If those first responders had not been lobbying for better care for me, staying with me in the ER, and three times waking me up and trying to keep me alert when I kept passing out, the surgeon who literally saved me and resuscitated me wouldn’t have made it to me in time,” Linda said. She went on to have her twin boys a couple of years later, but she never forgot those first responders who were relentless in ensuring Linda received the care she deserved. In return, Linda sought a way to give back. Fast forward 10 years and Linda took on another challenge when she decided to run as a fire commissioner of the North Greece Fire District – an unpaid position which carries a five-year term. The district had never had a woman serve as a fire commissioner, but Linda pursued that challenge. She went door-to-door visiting her voters, called them, kept in touch with them through social media, and reminded them to vote. She was persistent to say the least. That persistence led to victory. The night of the fire commissioner election in December 2013, very few people expected her to win. She was up against two men who were vying for the same seat. “There was near silence on the night of the election. People were stunned into silence,” she said.She laughed recalling her excitement as the votes were counted. She took away 43 percent of the vote; the two men split the remaining 57 percent. Amidst the silence, she and her daughter did a “silent happy dance” in the hallway.
From that moment forth, she embraced her role and promised to do the best she can. “The path to getting here wasn’t one I looked for, but I found myself set upon it, and I decided to walk it,” she said. “I’m the kind of person when I decide to do something, I’m also going to do it really well. I don’t do anything half-assed.” In general, the five fire commissioners are responsible for oversight while the fire chiefs handle day-to-day operations of the North Greece Fire District, which is comprised of three fire stations and many firefighters, volunteers, and staff. This year, Linda holds the title of vice chairwoman of the board, and some of her responsibilities include acting as liaison to the fire chief, as well as liaison to the fire department, Explorer post, ladies’ auxiliary, and representative to the banquet committee. She also serves as the district’s public information officer. In addition, she negotiates, reviews, and approves any purchases and bills, as well as many other tasks and responsibilities. Commissioners also attend multiple monthly meetings, some of which last several hours, sometimes into midnight. The fire district commissioners are also charged with budgeting and setting the district’s tax rate for the following year, which usually happens every fall. “It’s important that people who get elected have the skills and the intentions … to do that well,” she said, citing the residents who will foot the bill as important folks to keep in mind. Linda has immersed herself in the job; she has learned all that she can. And, the key to her success is surrounding herself with strong advocates. As a citizen fire commissioner, she knows she stands out. Not only because she’s a woman, but also because she had no previous fire experience. She works with four other commissioners, a fire chief, a deputy chief, and a district assistant chief. She can understand their initial skepticism when she was first elected. “My counterparts have hundreds of years of experience and here comes along this Planet Botanica chick,” Linda said. “Who the Hell is she?” To prepare herself for her new role, Linda did study a Firefighter 1 certification course and interviewed several other commissioners on her own time. Commissioners are not legally required to have firefighting experience, but they should understand the job, Linda added. She is aware she stands out but added she doesn’t try to change who she is. “I don’t try to be one of the guys,” she said. “I respect their space. I respect their role. I don’t try to be one of them. I don’t try to be something I’m not.” Shortly after the election, she was charged with overseeing and leading the acquisition of a $1.3 million Quint 270 fire truck/apparatus. Though it was a team effort with a talented captain at the helm of the truck design, Linda credits her experience running her own business, as well as having a great attorney-advisor, as being key factors in her own success on the project. “Projects like that will fail without a good leader,” she said. Linda’s term expires in 2018. At that time, she may run again. But, if she doesn’t run or if she doesn’t succeed, she does have one expectation of herself. “It has become the most difficult labor of love I’ve ever pursued,” she said, acknowledging she has barely started to make her mark. “I am determined to depart with a legacy that others will want to emulate, and among my personal goals is to leave my district knowing that it is one that others will benchmark.”
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TOKEYA GRAHAM
Associate Professor of English, MCC BY VANESSA J CHEEKS | PHOTO BY GILMORE HAYLE Tokeya Graham is a woman who is unapologetically herself. She knows she is an intelligent, passionate, talented and caring self-proclaimed student of the universe and makes no attempts to be shy about it. Then again, why should she? The Assistant English Professor at Monroe Community college has worked against hardships in her life to get to where she is today and still manages to see the world for what it is, an open book for us all to learn from and apply that knowledge moving forward. It is with that understanding that Graham is able to reach her students on another level. One that allows them to not only ingest the information taught but, to comprehend it and question it. “The reason I am in the front of the classroom is the design…I tell my students, each of us is a walking book…teach me something!” explained Graham of her desire to encourage active participation and dialog in her classes as a way to get students to think independently. “I don’t want people walking out of my classroom and say you sound like Professor Graham, I want them to walk out and say she just taught me.” Graham hopes that after leaving her class students are equipped with the desire to seek out more information in anything they do. Graham’s ability to relate to various circumstances is what makes her a favorite among her pupils. “My students…they have different vantage points…they are up, down, sideways. In order to be a better educator I think I need to be able to meet my students at whatever level t hey are in, “ expressed Graham. One way she ensures her students can comprehend her material is to keep it within reach “I think a lot of times in academy we make things so lofty. If I can only understand myself and my colleagues can only understand me, I am not doing my job” but with students rating her one of the more easily understood and “enlightening” professors at the Damon City Campus, she seems to be doing it right. Her ability to reach her students can be partially accredited to her own upbringing. Raised by her grandmother, Graham was always encouraged to read “My grandmother is the best person ever. She raised me and she didn’t have to.” Explained Graham of the woman who brought her in and nurtured her passion for the written word. Graham’s grandmother worked with the Book Directory for the Rochester City School District as a security guard and owned her own business. She would bring Tokeya books and while she only possessed a grammar school education herself, unquestionably supported Graham’s desire to read any and everything. “She never knew what I was reading and never knew what I was into but believed so wholeheartedly in me.”
the University of Rochester, Graham passes that same unconditional and always supportive love to her own children. “I am an excellent mother” she explained of her children whom are on their way to being as equally accomplished as their mother who, in fact cites her children as her greatest works “I tell people all the time you think I am great at my professional life? My children are the greatest reflection of my personhood.” When speaking of her children Graham lights up with pride but admits they don’t quite take after her but, rather her husband Kevin “They are fabulous. They are movie watchers, films, and musicians. They read articles, the news, they get that from their father.” Said Graham but, there is still an endless supply of books in the house. “I have over 500 books..I have them in my car, I give them away!” said Graham who not only tries to share the books she loves but, is also self-publishing her own book of poetry. Unchained Inner She was originally slated to be published in May, however, with Graham’s husband diagnosed with Rectal Ca ncer, it is now hoped to be out in time for the holidays “it would have been out in May but, my husband was diagnosed with cancer… there’s a lot going on” she explained. Even with this family obstacle, Tokeya and her crew have stayed positive and used their collective creativity to document and learn from the experience. “My family finds humor in anything, we think anything is funny…we have been thinking of how to turn this into something to share with people and raise awareness about dealing with this cancer journey” Graham is able to turn experiences into opportunities for others in a way that is accessible. She is adamant about using her voice and listening to those that might not be in a position to be heard themselves in order to bring awareness and understanding to an issue “What I tell my students is you need to listen to a story from the voices of the captured…the oppressed” meaning that the best way to gain perspective is to listen to those who have experienced the worst of a situation in order to understand the complete picture. As a black female author, Graham is able to do just that “I think that black woman, in particular, are often counted out. Our voices have not been amplified” explained Graham who focuses her works and offers a great deal of support to black authors and particular black women in order to strengthen their voices and those that might learn from them. It is important for Tokeya Graham to not only learn from her experiences, readings and interactions with others but to also pass that knowledge on to her students, family, and community. Her efforts to create a more engaged, thinking the world will not go unnoticed, particularly in a time where being informed is so crucial to our prosperity.
Now, after receiving her Associate’s Degree from MCC and later her Bachelor’s from SUNY Brockport as well as a Masters in English from ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM :: SEPTEMBER 2015
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moment ::MENOPAUSE
viagara?
DO WOMEN NEED THEIR OWN JAMES WOODS, MD AND ELIZABETH WARNER, MD
On June 5, 2015, U.S. news headlines proclaimed “FDA Panel Endorses Female Viagra.” This was inaccurate, because after two denials, it was only the advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who voted favorably to recommend that the FDA approve the drug Flibanserin® in August. The FDA wants more information on side effects of the drug, including dizziness, nausea, fatigue, insomnia, and the effects of alcohol. Flibanserin® is touted as a treatment for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) for premenopausal women, which is defined as the persistent lack of sexual fantasies and desire that is distressful to the individual. An estimated 10% of women experience this distress, which is why these headlines caught most people’s attention. Sildenafil (Viagra®) is a performance-enhancing drug for erectile dysfunction, not a form of testosterone. Penile erection results when nitric oxide produces 3’5’cyclic GMP, causing dilation of the blood vessels of the corpus cavernosum of the penis, resulting in an erection. This process is controlled by the enzyme phosphodiesterase (PDE-5), which can inactivate cGMP to impair vasodilation of the penile blood vessels. Sildenafil blocks PDE-5, thus enhancing the effects of cGMP to sustain the erection. Testosterone therapy has been used off-label as a treatment for HSDD, despite the fact that many studies show no association between androgen therapy and female sexual function. There is no FDA-approved form of testosterone for women. The FDA has remained concerned regarding major (cardiovascular disease and breast cancer) and minor (acne and hair growth) side effects of this drug. Flibanserin®, in contrast, interacts directly within the complex network of neural hormones in the central nervous system that influence sexual behavior. Sexual arousal and desire are a product of competing influences between the stimulating effects of dopamine and the inhibitory effects of serotonin. Moreover, estrogen and testosterone stimulate dopamine release to enhance sexual desire, while a complex balancing of various
serotonin receptors determines the repressive effect of serotonin. Flibanserin® is a serotonin 1A (5 HT1a) receptor agonist, a serotonin 2A (5HT2a) receptor antagonist, and a dopamine D4 receptor partial agonist, meaning the drug has both stimulating and blocking capabilities depending where in the brain it is functioning. Results of a number of studies support Flibanserin®’s impact on sexual activity and the neural hormones involved. In rats, increases in norepinephrine (a product of dopamine) and decreases in serotonin were documented in all brain areas associated with sexual behavior. From the FDA Advisory Committee Document (2015) in all three phase 3 human clinical trials of Flibanserin®, women reported improvements in sexuality of 9.4% to 14.6% over placebo-treated women. Arousal and desire for men and women are as much psychologic as biologic. Basic questions that often dominate any discussion of intimacy in the gynecologist’s office are “Do you like yourself? Do you like your partner? Who does the lack of desire or libido bother, you or your partner? And finally, do you want to improve how you feel about your sexuality?” Armed with these answers, the gynecologist is able to navigate toward a more productive discussion and strategy for care. There is a great deal of interest on the part of pharmaceutical companies to help women with HSDD for obvious market volume reasons. Since sexual desire dysfunction is multifactorial in women, often involving relationship issues and intimacy as well as possible anxiety and/or depression, it is unlikely that one pill will be a simple solution. Stay tuned for the update in August after the FDA reviews the recommendations. James Woods, M.D. is a practicing gynecologist certified in menopausal medicine and a regular contributor to Rochester Woman Magazine. Elizabeth Warner, M.D., is a retired gynecologist living in Rochester, NY. For questions regarding this menoPAUSE or other menopausal issues you would like to see addressed in future editions, please call him at (585) 271-7800 or email him at james_woods@urmc.rochester.edu.
Please Join Rochester’s Women Making Wishes For the 4th Annual
Sip‘N Shop Sunday, November 1, 2015 2-5 p.m. Woodcliff Hotel and Spa 199 Woodcliff Drive Fairport, NY 14450
Start your holiday shopping with an afternoon of sipping, shopping and socializing to support Make-A-Wish® and local businesses! $15 pre-sale tickets available or $20 at the door Complimentary food / beverage tastings and valet parking! A cash bar will be available
To purchase advance tickets contact the Rochester Make-A-Wish® Of�ice: (585) 272-9474 Thank you to our sponsors!
For more information about Make-A-Wish please visit wny.wish.org.
$15 of every ticket sold will bene�it Make-A-Wish® Western New York.
positive life :POSITIVE MIND, 50
SEPTEMBER 2015 :: ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM
EDUCATION TO UNLEASH THE POWER OF YOUR
positive potential
SRADDHA PRATIVADI, MD
The word “education” is derived from the Latin ēducātiō which means a breeding, a bringing up, a rearing”, from ēdūcō - “I educate, I train” which is related to the homonym ēdūcō”I lead forth, I take out; I raise up, I erect” from ē- “from, out of” and dūcō “I lead, I conduct”. Wow! What an amazing word. Imagine that someone - your coach, trainer or consultant - is drawing out the best of you - the sum of all your talents and potentials. This is not just asking you to regurgitate information through rote memorization. No. It is drawing out your knowledge, mixed with your creative potential and unique gifts to bring your contribution into the world that is far greater than the sum of your individual gifts and pieces of knowledge. This type of education is radical and revolutionary - it’s not just about knowledge. It’s about shaping your every paradigm. True education should empower you to change your behavior to achieve your highest potential. Do just facts and figures do this? No. You must be educated about your paradigm and how your underlying paradigms create your results. Otherwise, you will learn lots of facts without being able to implement them in a useful fashion that create results for you and will not allow you to make your highest contributions to the world. How is this done? By developing the higher faculties of the mind. What are the higher faculties of the mind? Why should we care about the mind? Your mind determines your results. We usually want to change the results. So in order to change the results, you must start with the mind. But, typical education does not educate people about the mind. People are given facts, figures, and sometimes skills.
This does not change the behavior and certainly does not change results. Napoleon Hill, an attorney and journalist who studied 500 of the greatest success minds of the 20th century under the charge of Andrew Carnegie, the richest man of his day, said “An educated person has so developed the faculties of the mind that (s)he can obtain anything (s) he desires without violating the rights of others.” Most of typical education is focused on putting information into the student’s memory without really addressing the larger underlying paradigms of a student’s functioning, the paradigm that will determine how the information will be implemented into action and manifest through the student’s actions. The students are put in a system of competition with an underlying mindset of lack. But when you truly learn to think, you know that ideas come from the infinite fourth dimension and each student an infinite source of unique gifts, perspectives and contributions to the active coercion of the future of the planet.
Henry Ford said, “Thinking is the hardest thing to do, that is why so few people do it.” When you look around and actually carefully observe what people are doing, you will see that most people truly are not thinking. If they were, they would not be doing or saying most of the things they do. True deep thinking involves you having a working knowledge of the higher faculties of the mind. Most people cannot name what they are and much less can explain what they do or how they are relevant to goal creation. Here they are -
REASON PERCEPTION MEMORY WILL INTUITION IMAGINATION Have you developed these faculties to the maximum that you can? Has your “education” helped you develop an understanding of these faculties of the mind and more so have you mastered using them to get precisely the results you want? No? Then that is the education you need. Paradigm shifting involves deep reprogramming of your mind so that your underlying thoughts change. This changes your actions which result in changed results. How do you start this journey? You make a decision. Have you been putting off starting your journey into a new future? Have you been putting off truly expressing your highest gifts? Do you keep feeling that your goals are out of your reach because you don’t have a roadmap of your mind? There is a saying in my consulting business. We say, “It’s time to transform dreams into reality, goals into achievements and thinking into results.” Start your education of the mind and paradigms today and you will get results so amazing, you will need a telescope to look back on where you were a year before. Sraddha Prativadi, MD is a transformational consultant and business coach providing individual, group, corporate and elite training to tap into the greatest asset – the marvelous mind through the premier Thinking into Results Program. Call 585-364-8018 to speak with her about helping you achieve your positive, powerful results for your business, health, and personal growth.
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Events
Rochester Woman Magazine
2015 RWMS ULTIMATE FASHION SHOW AND EXPO I PHOTOS BY BRANDON VICK PHOTOGRAPHY On Thursday, August 27th, hundreds of attendees enjoyed an evening of fashion and shopping at RWM’s Ultimate Fashion Show and Expo at Victory Church Community Center. With over 75 local vendors, and 350 goody bags handed out, the evening was capped off with a spectacular fashion show featuring models from The Mary Therese Friel Agency, the MRS NY American Pageant, and local “celebrities”. Several local boutiques were featured in the show including, Ruffles, SJ’s Boutique, Green Orchyd, Adrian Jules, Vittorio’s Formalwear, Joevals Formalwear, Gracious Soul Boutique, Reckless Necklace, Evie Boutique, Siro Fashions, Abigail Riggs Collection, Clothes Mentor and Panache Vintage and Finer Consignment. All while rocking to the music of the incredible DJ Keyyo, and the commentary provided by the amazing Joan Lincoln! Hair and makeup was provided by Allora Salon & Spa, Bellezza Salon & Spa and Shear Ego International School.
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2015
EVENTS CALENDAR
FINE TASTINGS
Organization: Al Sigl Community When: 6:00pm – 9:00pm Where: Locust Hill Country Club Website: www.alsigl.org
FESTIVAL OF FOOD
Organization: Food Link When: 6:00pm – 9:00pm Where: Rochester Public Market Website: www.foodlinkny.org
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ARTRAGEOUS AFFAIR
26 CELEBRATION OF HOPE LUNCHEON
29 CORONA CARES HAPPY HOUR
Oct.2
Organization: BCCR When: 6:00pm to 10:00pm Where: Rochester Plaza Hotel Website: www.bccr.org/artrageous-affair Organization: East House When: 11:30am – 1:30pm Where: Rochester Riverside Convention Center Website: www.easthouse.org Organization: Willow Domestic Violence Center When: 5:30pm – 8:00pm Where:Hot Shots Website: www.willowdvcenter.org
education ::RWM FASHION
Not Wearing White after Labor Day, the Tooth Fairy and Other Childhood Fables Debunked
BY ANN MARIE STONECYPHER I PHOTOS BY SOLON QUINN PHOTOGRAPHY One of the most often asked fashion questions is: Can I wear white after every Labor Day? A better question should be, Why can’t I? To tackle this age-old question, we should probably look at where this controversial rule came from in the first place. Some say it is founded in practicality — white reflects the sun, making it more comfortable to wear in hot months. Others say it has more elitist, early 20th century roots. They believe that darker clothes represented the working class while the light, bright whites were more reflective of the well-to-do, who vacationed for the summer, shedding their urban duds for fulltime summer retreat wear. To whichever you subscribe, I hereby deem the statute antiquated, and relegate it to the annals of fashion history with the hoop skirt and the banana clip. As much as I am opposed to making more rules out of this, there are some tips to really making white work out of season. (If you wear any type of clothing out of its season, you risk looking out of place. You wouldn’t wear your snow boots in July.) The key is to think more about texture and weight than color, and try to find clothes that will cross into other seasons. I will buy a lightweight dark item because I know I can wear it into the warmer and cooler months. Conversely, I know my slightly heavier, light-colored clothing will transition better into the colder months, giving my whole wardrobe a little more seasonal longevity. White and shades of white fabric in denim, knits, tees and ponte (a polyester, rayon, spandex blend) added to your fall and winter wardrobe mix extremely well. Layering them with accessories like leather belts, scarves and boots creates some attention-grabbing looks as we have done on our models. All of the models are wearing clothes from their own closets, so chances are you have a lot of these things, too. Experiment with a long peasant skirt paired with a pop of chartreuse and denim shirt. Boots and a leather hat will round out
this striking bohemian look. Or grab your basic white blazer, cinch it at the waist with a wide, brown belt and add a scarf. (Do try a belt over your jacket.) We made white jeans a star in our shoot because they are such a workhorse. We paired them with a yummy knit poncho and boots, and with a red blazer and scarf for a pseudo equestrian look. Try a striped sweater and jacket, or mix patterns and add a quilted vest. My favorite look is winter white pants paired with a navy vintage coat. It’s a showstopper with a T-shirt and chunky pearls, but you could also substitute a cream turtleneck for additional warmth. The time to experiment with creating these new looks are when you are packing up your summer clothes and pulling out your cold weather garments. Play dress up with that eyelet dress by adding a denim jacket, brown leather belt and matching boots; finish with some turquoise jewelry to create a fun transitional look. Again, white jeans are a fabulous four-season warrior. They can be dressed up with high heels, dressed down with boots, and again dressed up with a classic navy blazer or dressed down with a denim shirt. Give it a try and remember, the mirror is your friend — if it looks weighty and you feel you are dressed for the weather, you probably got it right. The bottom line: If rules are meant to be broken, this one can go in the wood chipper. Oh, and I promised to tell you about the Tooth Fairy: Yes, she does wear white after Labor Day. Ann Marie Stonecypher is an award-winning businesswoman and the owner of AMS Models & Talent. She is also a stylist, inspirational speaker, cancer survivor and freelance writer, and lives in the Syracuse area with her children Taylor and Steven, and her dog Cocoa. Models from AMS Models: Kristin Bauer, Joyce Granger, Sarah Kirkpatrick, Sydney Wright. Styling: Ann Marie Stonecypher. Assistant Stylist: Tamara Pulley.
ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM :: SEPTEMBER 2015
55
sense :::DOLLARS &
Children & Money
Tips to teach them about finances early on BY COLETTE POWERS One of the most important lifetime skills we can teach our children is how to handle money — how to save it, spend it, budget it, invest it, borrow it. However, while school classes typically include math, science and English, many formal educational programs leave the job of teaching financial skills to parents. So, what are some of the strategies parents can use to help their children develop good money management skills?
ALLOWANCES
An allowance can be a good way to introduce the concept of money management and budgeting to your children. The question of whether to link an allowance to chores varies from family to family, however, once an allowance is agreed upon, it is important to discuss what you expect the allowance to cover. Do you expect your child to use their allowance to buy toys or pay for a movie night with friends? Also, you may wish to help them divide the allowance for saving, spending, investing and giving. This bucketing approach can be used with other types of income, too, like babysitting, lawn mowing, a lemonade stand. The concept should remain the same: Not all money made should be allocated to immediate spending.
ENCOURAGE SAVINGS
For every dollar they set aside from their earnings, you may choose to match some or all of what they save. This illustrates how important you feel it is that they save. Sit with them each month and review their bank statement discussing beginning and ending balances, along with interest earned. Once a child gets used to putting aside a certain amount of their allowance or earnings, they are more likely as young adults to continue this practice.
DISCUSS BUDGETS
Talk to them about where the money your household earns goes — spending, savings, charity, taxes — to reinforce that a dollar earned is not all available to be spent. Discuss what you feel are discretionary spending, nondiscretionary spending and luxury spending. This helps them understand why you say “yes” to buy some things and “no” to others, and that there is a finite amount to satisfy many spending needs, which may require hard decisions be made to balance what comes in and what goes out. 56
AUGUST 2015 :: ROCHESTERWOMANMAG.COM
CREDIT CARDS
At some point, a child is going to be introduced to the concept of credit cards — and for many, that introduction happens at a time and place that you as a parent may have little influence over. Discuss with them how credit cards work, what interest is and the cost if the balance is not paid off each month. Work with them to find a card with no annual fee and a low interest rate. Emphasize that credit cards shouldn’t be used to purchase things they couldn’t afford to pay for with cash. This will give them a head start to building a good credit score.
INVESTING
Once the basics of spending and saving are covered, a broad understanding of investing is important in helping a child recognize the role other financial tools may play in their long-term goals, such as saving for the down payment for a house or funding college expenses that you do not plan to cover. Starting with basic investments, and discussing risks, how dividends work and potential gains and losses — or, perhaps, opening a small account for them — can be a good introduction to investing. When financial teaching and encouragement starts early and is practiced often, parents can provide their children with the tools and knowledge that will help them develop the skills necessary to make a lifetime of good financial decisions. Colette Powers is a Financial Advisor with UBS Financial Services Inc. Any information presented is general in nature and not intended to provide individually tailored investment advice. Investing involves risks and there is always the potential of losing money when you invest. The views expressed herein are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views of UBS Financial Services Inc. Neither UBS Financial Services Inc. nor its employees (including its Financial Advisors) provide tax or legal advice. You should consult with your legal counsel and/or your accountant or tax professional regarding the legal or tax implications of a particular suggestion, strategy or investment, including any estate planning strategies, before you invest or implement. As a firm providing wealth management services to clients, we offer both investment advisory and brokerage services. These services are separate and distinct, differ in material ways and are governed by different laws and separate contracts. For more information on the distinctions between our brokerage and investment advisory services, please speak with your Financial Advisor or visit our website at
ubs.com/workingwithus.
©UBS 2015. All rights reserved. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC.
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Became a teacher. Lauren Bates ’02
Became an engineer. Maggie Bates ’12
Where will you go? MCC alum Lauren Bates juggled kids and classes on her way to earning a teaching degree. Her daughter Maggie, also an MCC grad, just landed her first job as an engineer with Procter and Gamble. With over 90 transfer and career programs, inspiring professors, and flexible scheduling, MCC has what you need to start your next chapter.
Register today for our Fall Open House on Saturday, October 24 at www.monroecc.edu/go/openhouse