Antoilyn is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences with ambitions to major in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies and minor in International Development and Urban Studies. Two lived experiences — not having access to menstrual products as a child and coming from a family of refugees — made them passionate about studying the impact of armed conflict, violence, and chemical warfare on reproductive health. Antoilyn hopes to pursue a career as a gynecologist to provide culturally competent medical care for refugees and migrants, especially those with marginalized identities or adverse childhood experiences. They look forward to learning how to promote wellness, empathy, and compassion and how to integrate these values in the context of hospitals and reproductive healthcare clinics.
The community aspect of the fellows program is not a new concept to Antoilyn. They are the Education Director at Free the Period, a youth led organization fighting to end period poverty by securing access to menstrual products in all California K-12, college, and university institutions. Antoilyn has lobbied for the passage of the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021 (AB367) and has ardently advocated for the removal of period stigma through education.
Helping pass and implement a bill taught me there is strength in unity. By uniting others under a single force fighting for change, we can encourage, support, love, and validate others to create a community that prioritizes well-being simultaneously while moving towards a more equitable world.
Antoilyn is part of the OurSpace’s Sexual Health Education Program (OSHEP) where they develop LGBTQ+ friendly and culturally competent sexual health workshops. They teach this curriculum to Gender-Sexuality Alliances in the West Philadelphia community. Antoilyn is also helping create a gender inclusive period tracking app as a research intern at spotBOX. They are currently involved in research that seeks to reduce racial disparities through implementing a standardized labor induction protocol to decrease the rate of cesarean sections and fetal mortality.
Antoilyn sees storytelling as a tool that encourages people to work together to combat injustice, whether it be academic, financial, or sociopolitical, and they want to bring their stories and the gift of narration to the SNF Paideia community. They hope to learn from the various stories of their fellow scholars in the SNF Paideia program. Antoilyn hopes to share the gift of vulnerability and encourage others to amplify stories of those who have been previously silenced.