Katelyn GriffenBack to Member List

Member Name:    Katelyn Griffen         

Pronouns: She/Her                                                                                 

NHC Program:  Florida

Host Site: UF Health Women’s Services

Position Title: Maternal Health Care Coordinator

 

Where are you from?

Parrish, FL

 

I was born in China and adopted into a loving family who lived in Michigan. We moved to Florida when I was in first grade to be closer to my 3 oldest nephews and spent the next 12 years here with the addition of 12 nephews and nieces over that time period. In 2018, I returned to Michigan for my undergrad at Calvin University and graduated in 2022 just in time to celebrate the birthday of the newest member of our family. Now I’m back to the place I call home and where the sun shines most of the time!

 

Why did you decide to join NHC?

Over the past 4 years I have surrounded myself with a community who share a similar passion for social justice. I practiced servant-leadership, engaged in conversations with people at the forefront of change, and educated myself through lived experience. I began to question the things I had been told and held in my own beliefs to be true. And it took all of these things for me to see how flawed the system is. I went down a very cynical path as I had wanted to make a difference but now I felt like there was no hope. After completing my undergrad I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I knew I still wanted to do something meaningful and make a difference, but I didn’t know what my immediate next step would be. I had always thought I had wanted to be a doctor but wasn’t sure I was quite willing to commit. I had heard about NHC through my pre health adviser my freshmen year and never really thought about it again until a friend of a friend mentioned the amazing experiences and friendships she had built. The program checked off all my requirements with some additional bonuses, and the most important part for me was I would be back in Florida and far away from the gloomy, snowy Michigan winters.

 

What are you hoping to gain or learn during your service term?

During this year I want to learn more about healthcare. I want to learn about what healthcare is doing right and what parts still need to change. I want to learn how to best help the hardest patients to treat. Most importantly, I want to learn what part I will have in the future of healthcare.

 

Aside from professional aspirations, I want to explore Jacksonville and become totally involved in the community I live in. I want to push myself outside of my comfort zone and really embrace whatever circumstances I will be thrown into. 

 

As care coordinator, I hope that I can become a resource and an advocate for the women and mothers I will serve.  As an NHC member, I hope that the other members will share the same overwhelming passion as I do for helping cultivate equity and I hope that we are able to make some unforgettable memories. 

 

What are you most looking forward to during your service term? 

Overall, I’m looking forward to where this year will lead me and how it will change me.