🔒Igniting Talent: Organization born from tragedy aims to help youths find career passion

At 29, Meghan Abate felt she had it all, a loving husband, a new baby girl.

Then the unthinkable happened. On a Sunday in early December 2020, her beloved 37-year-old spouse Joe Abate died suddenly from a congenital heart defect. His unexpected passing left her bereft. But as time passed, the North Branford resident’s grief turned into a determination to help others and enrich their lives just as her husband had done.

“For me, he was such a people person,” Abate said. “He had a way of making people at ease. I just couldn’t stand the idea of him not being here.”

The result was the JoeAbate Charitable Foundation. Because Joe had undergone an operation at six days old to correct his heart defect, the foundation, run entirely though donations and grants, created the Family Resource Fund to provide financial and other assistance to families of newborns going through similar medical ordeals.

But that wasn’t enough for Meghan. Throughout his too-short life, her husband searched for a fulfilling career that he could feel passionate about, she said. He changed jobs so often that Meghan jokingly nicknamed him “Joe of All Trades.” When the couple discussed his career quest, Joe often wished he’d been exposed to more options during his teen years, Meghan said.

Wanting to address her late husband’s lament, Meghan’s foundation created a second effort called Igniting Talent.

The program pairs high school seniors and a few juniors with area businesses for two-week “micro-internships” that give them a short but intense taste of a profession — no getting coffee or data entry, students get real, hands-on experience. Where most internship programs are one and done, Igniting Talent gives both college- and non-college-bound kids the opportunity to try out three career paths in six weeks. That way kids who thought they were interested in a profession only to find it isn’t for them have a chance to try something else, Meghan Abate said.

“I wanted to create something that helped every student, no matter their background, that is unsure about what they want to do,” she said. “I think this might be the missing link for a lot of kids who think they are just average. They need to discover they are strong. They need to discover what they can do.”

Igniting Talent has started small — it’s in three high schools, West Haven, North Branford and East Haven, so far — and is just under two years old, but it is already getting rave reviews from New Haven area educators, businesspeople and students.

The interest from business owners has been intense. A law firm, veterinary office, car mechanic, web designer, video production firm and tree farm are just examples of those signing up to take interns, Meghan Abate said.

“It’s been an impressive program, very professional,” said Jimmy Betulia Jr., owner of Guilford Texaco North, who has already hired program graduates.

Too often today, trades like his get short shrift among high schoolers, said Betulia, an auto mechanic. That’s a shame as today’s tech-savvy youth are increasingly suited for such careers, he said, noting how cars are shifting to electric propulsion and ever greater computerization. Igniting Talent shows kids how lucrative and rewarding a blue collar profession can be, he said.

“I think kids are missing out on what the trades can offer and how much money they can make,” Betulia said.

While today’s youth often don’t have the greatest reputation, Betulia had nothing but praise for his young interns. “They are all good kids,” he said. “They are on time. They aren’t afraid to try.”

Jennifer Tzetzon, a teacher at North Branford High School, is equally enthusiastic, saying the program provides students with “a bird’s eye view” of their futures.

“They came to us, and we said we’re crazy not to take part in this,” Tzetzon said.

The program is perfect for North Branford High School’s Capstone Project, which all students must complete between their junior and senior years to graduate, said Tzetzon, who runs the program. To fulfill the requirement, students must spend 25 to 40 hours working as an intern on something they feel passionate about. Most students choose a career they want to pursue, making Igniting Talent a perfect fit, she said.

Only a handful of North Branford students have done the program so far, but the school is so pleased it plans to dramatically expand participation, Tzetzon said.

“It’s a truly phenomenal program,” she said.

For Dante Rodney, who graduated from West Haven High School last year, Igniting Talent made the difference. Thanks to an internship at a veterinary hospital, Rodney realized that being a vet tech was for him. He is currently studying at Wagner College on Staten Island to enter the profession. Rodney said he especially liked that the program, unlike some, didn’t require prior background in a job to give it a try.

“Some places you have to have experience,” he said. “It was kind of relaxed. I would recommend it, especially for people who don’t know what they want to do.”

Meghan Abate, who works as an ESL teacher at West Haven High School, hopes that this is just the beginning. Her goal is to keep growing Igniting Talent and then expand it statewide and beyond.

“I just want to continue to make a difference in the lives of these students,” she said. “Sometimes we look at them and think they are adults, they’ve got to figure it out. They need help.”