This month, we celebrate Siani Antoine, a 2019-20 WomenNC Scholar!
As a scholar this past year, Siani researched oral health disparities in women within rural eastern North Carolina. She worked under the mentorship of Dr. Margaret Gichane from RTI’s Global Gender Center, who also helped her navigate applying to public health graduate programs. Because of her time with WomenNC, Siani discovered her passion for women’s health policy.
Siani graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill this past May with a B.A. in United States History and a minor in African American Diaspora Studies. She will spend the next two years completing a Master’s in Public Health at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health with a concentration in maternal, child and family health.
With her Master’s degree, Siani plans to enter a career in the global health sector that focuses on supporting communities of color. She is interested in becoming an advocate for reproductive justice reform to combat discrimination and health disparities among people of color. As a Black woman with Caribbean heritage, Siani anticipates serving women in the Caribbean and hopes to bring awareness to public health concerns in the region.
Siani’s interest in global affairs is well-established. She performed an oral history investigation on Jewish Poles before, during and after the Holocaust in Germany and Poland. She also brought the music, food, culture, and political discourse of the Caribbean to her campus as a member of the Caribbean Student Association.
And, of course, as a WomenNC scholar, Siani’s work was presented to a global audience at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (virtually) in March of this year in addition to more local venues like North Carolina State University’s Gender and Equity Research Symposium.
In her free time, Siani has a blog called Bloom into Womanhood dedicated to fostering a space of solidarity, friendship, and community among women. Siani invites all to come with her on her journey to womanhood, so go check it out!
We commend Siani for all her hard work and can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next!
