NSU sophomore brings awareness to period poverty

By Bryce Johnson •

Last year, Alex Hernández, sophomore double major in international studies and national security, founded a nonprofit organization, Sirena’s Grotto, to educate and help women in “period poverty” areas, which refers to locations where feminine products are not readily available.

In the summer, she traveled to Barranquilla, Colombia, where she gave out 150 menstrual hygiene items, such as pads and educational materials, to people living in the area.

Hernández was inspired to go to Barranquilla partly because it’s where her mother grew up in poverty.

“One of the most vivid things I remember from that trip was a girl who for the first time got a box of pads, whereas before she’d have to buy them individually,” Hernández said. “My mom, she was one of those girls that didn’t have [pads], but now she does.”

Hernández first started advocating for menstrual equity as a sophomore in high school. One day, she discovered that several of her classmates would often get toilet paper from the nurse because they couldn’t afford standard pads.

“A lot of them were immigrants, a lot of them didn’t have their papers. They didn’t have any of that,” said Hernández, who also manages NSU’s campus radio station. “After I found that out, it kind of, like, blew up my world. It completely changed me, because I was like, there are girls out here that are literally unclean. They’re feeling unclean having to go to school.”

Soon after, Hernández used her own money to buy products for her classmates. She became known throughout her school as the girl with the pad backpack.

“I would get tapped on the shoulder. ‘Hey, do you have a pad?’” said Hernández. “And it became almost like, I had magic. I was handing out, like, money, honestly.”

From there, Hernández’s activism only grew. She teamed up with clubs at her high school to distribute boxes of pads to every classroom, and she also did period drives in Coral Springs and Tamarac. She then founded Sirena’s Grotto and partnered with organizations like The Beauty Initiative.

“It’s like five years of my life. Finally, I was working for other organizations and now I have my own. And I have God to thank for that,” Hernández said. “I’m really, really thankful because I’ve seen the need not only here, but internationally.”

When Sirena’s Grotto went to Barranquilla last July, the organization gave out 150 boxes of pads and 200 school supplies and spoke at three different churches about self-empowerment.

Being able to help so many people continues to encourage Hernández. She said the joy on their faces was inspiring.

“It was one of those things where I can see their face in my head and be like, ‘Wow, I’m not doing this for myself, I’m doing this for you,’” said Hernández.

In Spanish, Hernández’s organization is called “Serenas Para Las Sirenas,” which means “Pads for the Mermaids.”

Hernández decided to name her organization “Sirena’s Grotto” as an homage to her Hispanic heritage.

“In English, there’s a lot of content about menstruation and menstrual equity and everything. But in Spanish and in the Hispanic community, there isn’t because it’s so taboo,” Hernández said. “I wanted to make sure that my Latino community has the resources they need because they’re so underfunded, underrepresented, like everything. Like, they needed that. So my biggest motivation is just to help my home.”

Hernández’s efforts have been recognized throughout South Florida. She earned the Silver Knight Award in 2021 for her community work, and her high school changed how it handled menstrual health because of her.

“The high school where I went now officially, every year, has pads. They added it to their budget,” Hernández said. “So every year, they make sure that there are pads in each classroom, which is so exciting.”

Hernández plans to do another period drive on March 14. She will partner with HOPE South Florida to distribute meals, pads and other necessities to homeless people.

For those looking to donate supplies or help Sirena’s Grotto, Hernández encourages them to message their Instagram account, @sirenasgrotto.

“We need to get menstrual equity. At the end of the day, everybody needs to feel clean. Nobody should feel dirty. Nobody should have to feel like they are afraid because they’re having a normal bodily function,” said Hernández.