Throughout the academic year, Melinda Giampietro, Options Founder/President, will share some of her favourite things in her monthly Founder’s Feature. Melinda loves reading, data, research, and following academic and adolescent news around the world.
May Featured Article of the Month
Last month, I veered from cookbooks of the month to gardening books of the month. May is such a hopeful time for the garden. My newly planted lilac plants from last year have baby, mini lilacs blooming this year. It’s so rewarding. I’m surveying my full garden to observe what is popping out and what needs to be fluffed or replaced. And I have a million images in my head and on my Pinterest boards for what our summer pots could look like. I’m a big believer that all of nature’s colours go together, so they will likely be a vibrant mix of the rainbow, heavy on purples and yellows. Instead of a book this month, I am featuring a NYTimes article: “Want a Riot of Color in Your Flower Beds? Definitely Make a Plan.” I really enjoyed the pictures that featured an array of different colours and the use of silvery plants.
May Featured Book of the Month
I have listened to Belle Burden, the author of Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, on so many podcasts this spring. I thought this particular podcast episode was a great introduction to the book. I finally read her book (in three days) on a recent trip. The book itself is a solid read, but what I have been fascinated by most is the discourse surrounding it, and the many, many points of view that have emerged. A friend even organized a women’s dinner to have a proper forum for exploration and discussion. The book centers around the dissolution of a marriage in which Ms. Burden’s husband leaves the family abruptly in March of 2020. It explores not just marriage but all the societal expectations and conversations that occur when one blows up. The book results in a variety of responses from those who believe writing about her husband hurts her children to those who advise that it is a cautionary tale about women and financial literacy in marriages. No matter how you interpret it: read it, give the book to a friend, and organize a wine night to discuss. I’m also excited because I will get to see Ms. Burden speak in June at the Nantucket Book Festival (with Anne Patchett, Tayari Jones, and Lisa Genova).
May Events of the Month
This month, I’m featuring three events.
The first is Options annual spring professional development day that occurred in April. We use this time each year to learn new skills, dig into the latest research, collaborate around tricky topics (such as AI), and plan for the upcoming school year, making our practice and workshops better and better. This year, we explored the latest in executive function, uses of AI in worldwide admission, and updates to the Strong Interest Inventory, and the team created new workshops we are excited about for summer 2026. We also welcomed two guest speakers: Miranda Dagley from The University of King’s College in Halifax, who gave us insight into King’s First Year Foundation program and Maria Malloy, from the University of San Diego, who offered an informative training on the US “Why Us” essay with student examples. Thank you to them both!! We also took a moment to celebrate our ten- and five-year employee anniversaries. Congratulations to Monika and Alyssa for being at Options for ten years, and to Taryn, Kate W, Kara, and Lara for being at Options for five years. See our cute L.L.Bean celebration gift baskets.
The next event is the NACAC University Fair held at Langara College in late April. I really enjoyed volunteering with other high school counsellors from around Vancouver. I touched base with our regular representatives and made some excellent new connections. I also enjoyed meeting so many families and learning about their reasons for attending the event. Traditionally, the fair is held a little later in the year and at the Vancouver Convention Center. I thought having it at Langara gave it a more collegiate vibe, and it felt a little easier to interact with the institutions and their representatives. It is a major event to pull off, so congratulations to the West Point Grey Academy counsellors for making it all happen and thank you for inviting me to the evening reception.
Finally, I would like to feature my favourite event of spring: The Forum Pitch Finale. It was simply so much fun. I sit on The Forum board, and the team there, in tandem with the Activation Committee, lean into this 800-person event every year. It was really inspiring to get to spend time with the evening’s two champions: Michelle Romanow, a Dragon legend, and Tara Bosch, who built and sold Smart Sweets, before the evening formally began. Michelle is so full of not only wisdom, but also inspiration. And Tara, whom I met through the Forum’s E-Series in 2017, sold Smart Sweets for $360 million in 2020 and is now doing it all over again with her new company, Snackish. She is a true founder at heart. The night was buzzing with excitement, and we raised over $1.5 million to support scaling women entrepreneurs in Canada. It was truly a special night and one that will buoy me as I face business challenges over the next year. Congratulations to Randa Mudathir, CEO & Co-Founder, of NovaSonix. I am so inspired by all the young women in the STEM entrepreneur space. It was also super special to see a few of our Growing Leaders Forum young people take the stage for their moment in the spotlight (way to go, Rose and Cameron). They handled their moment with polish, grace, and a quiet confidence, inspiring the whole room.
To read more Founder’s Features, check them out under the Options News category.
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