Date: Wednesday May 27, 2026 from 7 PM to 8 PM
Combating Stigma: From High School to the Professional World
Wednesday May 27, 2026
Join us for this panel presentation that explores how individuals in high school, college, and the professional world navigate and reduce stigma. By the end of the panel you will walk away with ways that YOU can reduce stigma. Moderated by MHANYS' Graham Healey, Assistant Director, Mental Health Information Center.
PANELISTS:
Alyssa Majano is a senior at Freeport High School and a participant in Northwell Health’s Cohen Strong Mental Health Program. An incoming psychology student at Columbia University, she is passionate about supporting young people to manage their mental health and advocating for issues that impact youth. At FHS Alyssa has helped strengthen conversations around mental health both in the classroom and the broader community by helping to create a pamphlet highlighting available mental health resources for students and by organizing FHS' first mental health fair. Alyssa also supports her fellow students when they need it most by utilizing her Teen Mental Health First Aid certification. Her goal is to break down cultural barriers and expand conversations around mental health within her community and beyond.
Cohen Miles Rath, MSW, is the author of Mending Reality: An Advocate’s Existential Journey with Mental Health, a memoir chronicling his lived experience with mental illness and recovery. His story has been featured in The New York Times, Psychology Today, and the American Psychiatric Association’s Psychiatric Services Journal. A nationally recognized mental health advocate and speaker, Cohen has delivered keynote presentations to organizations across the United States, using both professional expertise and lived experience to advance more compassionate and effective systems of care. Through his roles with the Mental Health Association of New York State and the New York State Office of Mental Health, he has contributed to initiatives that strengthen public mental health systems and expand pathways to recovery.
Summer Fedorov is a recent graduate of McGill University in Montréal, where she studied Political Science, Slavic Studies, and History. Originally from Guilderland, New York, she developed a strong interest in advocacy through her academic work and professional experience. In the summer of 2025, she interned with MHANYS, where she worked on policy and advocacy initiatives related to mental health. That experience deepened her commitment to addressing mental health stigma and expanding access to care. She plans to pursue a career in public health.
