Featured Alumnae
Olinda Matos, '11
"The Women's Policy Institute changed the way I view how to maintain my quality of life by exposing me to issues I didn't know about," explains Olinda about her experience working on Aging Justice: Preventive Health Care for Women.
As part of her fellowship, she learned about health and nutrition issues that disproportionally impact older women. Her newly inspired interest in the area led her to testify on behalf of the Policy Institute at a Senate Committee on Health and Human Services hearing in support of Senate Bill 0481, "Commission for Health Advocacy and equity Act." This piece of legislation, that became law in June 2011 creates a commission to address health inequities in this state.
While Olinda's previous career included working at a policy organization, she had never testified at the State House. "Testifying was the culmination of Women's Policy Institute for me," she recalls. "The support that I got from the program and the other participants gave me the boost in confidence I needed to do it."
"Testifying at the State House made one problem crystal clear: the limited number of female elected officials and policy makers in Rhode Island means that the voice of Rhode Island's women often go unheard. Participating in Women's Policy Institute is one way to address that need."