Edline Francois: YP Member of The Month
Name: Edline Francois Occupation: Researcher Place of Work: OHSU What is your favorite thing about your job/work? One of the reasons I wake up in the morning and smile is because I love working with the participants in our study. They are older black people that are aunties, uncles, grandfathers, and grandmothers that have so much love and feel so comfortable talking about their experience in Portland as it relates to racism, and classism. I also love my job because I am able to help. I feel like I am providing an outlet for older people to voice their opinions and feelings about gentrification in Portland while addressing brain health and aging. Where did you grow up? East Florida about one hour north of Miami What is your favorite word? Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Plethora What is your favorite TV show, film, or podcast? NPR’s Code Switch and the Harry Potter series What do you consider your greatest achievement? Graduating with a Bachelor's degree. It holds so much weight because I am the first in my family to graduate from college. It is mesmerizing because my grandmother was illiterate and my parents partially illiterate, and I have graduated college twice with an Associates Degree and a Bachelors Degree and I am now a Researcher. When are you happiest? I am happiest when I successfully complete a challenging task that someone has doubted me on. Why did you join the YP’s? I joined because I needed a platform to create a strong network with other young professionals who I will likely call on for the rest of my life. It is really important for me to expose myself to people who are from different backgrounds and different careers to collaborate in different ways to learn and grow and develop. I was part of Urban League in middle school and I know what the organization stands for. I would love to be part of an organization that stands for the black community. Fun Facts: I am Haitian American I speak, read and write two languages - English and Haitian Creole I am fashionista and love makeup
