Derenice​

I’m Derenice and I’m in my last semester of community college and will receive my AA in Health Science and Natural Science in the spring. I hope to transfer in the fall and intend to graduate with a Bachelor’s in Public Health and a Minor in Lactation Education.   
 
I have always gravitated towards sexual and reproductive health as a career, but the cause became much more personal when I had my own child in 2021 amid the pandemic. Information and help became even more scarce, and I set out on a personal mission to spread the word so that other parents, particularly breastfeeding mothers, would not have to face the same challenges I did.   
 
This is my first year on the youth advisory board, so I hope my unique experience of overcoming challenges helps many others persevere in their own. Most importantly, I hope to help create more conversations around post-partum care and de-stigmatizing topics revolving around breastfeeding.