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Natalie Hernandez-Green ’96

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my master's in public health, and that was a big deal, too, because it was the number six school in the country. I didn't think I was going to get admitted. Then, here I was, moving to this new city in the South. At the time it was still very tense with immigrants and people didn't know who Puerto Ricans were, and here's this Puerto Rican from the South Bronx and I wanted to run back to New York! But I was tough, and eventually made this my home. Another point of pride was creating the first Latino health report for the state of Georgia and seeing how that's led to so many organizations that have sprouted from it. That report is still being used, now in its third iteration. A big accomplishment for me are my children and seeing them grow up into the beautiful people that they're going to be. I didn't grow up in the best community so it's nice to see that change for them, one that I'm in position to make because someone gave me a chance. I also received a patent for a mobile app that I created to assist women during pregnancy and their postpartum period. It was exciting to receive that letter from the Patent Office. There's much to be proud of but I feel that it's the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more that I want to achieve. Mason: Is there knowledge or motivation that comes from the merging of your worlds of professional maternal health and being a mother? Natalie: Yes, I think what really pushed me to do maternal health work—and where my first study came from— was the fact that I experienced postpartum depression with both of my children, and I didn't understand it. Mental health is such a huge issue for so many, but we don't talk about it. It's shameful to say that you're depressed when you have kids; this should be the happiest time of your life. Why are you so sad? I think those lived experiences catapulted my interest. I've also learned a lot from my children now about patience. I was not a very patient person and I think that they've instilled a lot more of that in me. Model UN, 1996 TREVOR DAY SCHOOL / 49 INSIDE TREVOR TREVOR TRANSLATES FEATURE AR TICLES ALUMNI

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