Francis Rojina

Francis Rojina is 26 years old from rural Malin, Oregon. She is a sister to two supportive sisters and the daughter of two loving immigrants from Mexico. With a high school degree from Lost River Jr/Sr High School, she continued her education at Pepperdine University earning her B.A in International Studies. She is currently an MPH candidate at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health. She cares about reproductive health, the wellbeing of migrant populations, and the health of adolescents facing adversity. She enjoys mentoring first generation students and has worked as a Diversity Coordinator at the Oregon Health Science University School of Nursing and as a Diversity Fellow at the Columbia Mailman Office of Diversity, Culture, and Inclusion. Right now, she is a Research and Knowledge Management Fellow for the Nepal Fertility Care Center (NFCC).  

Francis aspires to serve, empower, and heal individuals and populations. Francis was diagnosed with endometriosis at age 22, taking ten years for the proper diagnosis. She has had four ablation surgeries for endometriosis and is still on a journey to proper treatment and healing. She is committed to seeing that the barriers that prevent her from achieving a healthier life are not the norm. With the skills she gains through an MPH, and eventually a medical degree, she hopes to mobilize change wherever she lives to build healthier communities without the health inequities and disparities she experienced growing up.