Antonia Novello

            
             She is the only female and Latino to become Surgeon General. She can serve as to role to all minorities, that we are capable of achieving greatness. Dr. Novello made history when she was sworn as Surgeon General of the United States on March 9th, 1990. The role of Surgeon General is seen as the highest doctor of the United States and is responsible for advising the public on all kinds of health issues.
             Dr. Antonia Novello was born Antonia Coello in Fajardo, Puerto Rico on August 23, 1944. Her father died when she was only eight years old, leaving her mother to support the family. Her mother worked as a schoolteacher and made Dr. Novello's education a top priority. Antonia graduated from high school at the age of fifteen. Antonia received her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras in 1965. She later got her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Puerto Rico (San Juan) in 1970. She later married Joseph R. Novello. They moved to the United States and she completed an internship in pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical Center.
             From the start of her career, Dr. Novello was sure she wanted a career where she could help women and children. She herself struggled with a childhood illness. She suffered from Congenital Mega colon, an abnormality of the colon. Even though proper treatment could have corrected the condition at the age of eight, she didn't have surgery until she was eighteen years old. Her condition was never properly diagnosed and delayed proper treatment at that time. Her experience made her want to dedicate her medical career to the health issues that mainly affect women and children.
             Some of the issues she felt that greatly affect minorities are underage drinking and smoking and AIDS. She also felt that Latino children weren't getting the proper start at home and needed disease prevention programs to make sure they were healthy when it came the time to start school.