A Voice for the Voiceless

Once afraid to speak up, MBA graduate Nathalie Angulo now leads teams at Salem Health to ensure others are never silenced

Nathalie Angulo remembers staying quiet in school, afraid she might mispronounce a word or let her accent slip through.

“Being 13, in a new culture and trying to learn your voice – it was difficult,” she says. “I know what it feels like to not be able to advocate for yourself.”

The Angulo family had left Costa Rica on Feb. 8, 2000, arriving in Oregon with the clothes on their backs and a few suitcases. “Maybe three months after staying at my aunt’s house, we moved out and found mattresses we could sleep on,” Angulo recalls. “We gathered all the basic things – spoons, plates, the things that you need just to furnish your home.”

For the first few years, Angulo’s mom spoke enough English to be the family's interpreter and guide – an unusual dynamic in immigrant families, where children usually interpret for their parents. Even when diagnosed with cancer, she continued bridging the communication gap throughout her own illness.

Angulo was amazed by her mother’s advocacy during that season. “I was 16. It felt like the ground shifted beneath me,” Angulo recalls. “She had always been the steady, strong presence in our family, the person who held everything together. Hearing she was seriously ill was frightening.”

But what gave Angulo hope was her mother’s resilience. “She stayed positive, even on the hardest days – she truly embodies the kind of stubbornness that keeps you fighting in the best possible way.”

Serving with a Listening Heart

After the diagnosis, the Angulo family turned their grief into an opportunity to help others. They had opened up care homes to take in elderly and disabled patients who were underserved in the community. While Angulo struggled to feel heard, she had a listening heart for others in need.

“Mom’s treatment journey opened my heart to healthcare,” she says.

“Once our residents moved in, they became family. We were with them all the time, always making sure they had what they needed. The relationships that we had with them – you just couldn’t compare it to anything else.”

Over time, what started as one care home became four – and after years of running them herself, Angulo made the difficult decision to close three and pursue another calling. “I noticed that there was a barrier for people to advocate for themselves. I had family members who were interpreters, and I decided I wanted to do the same.”

Bridging the Divide

Eager to close the communication gap she’d grown up with, Angulo became an interpreter for Salem Health in 2014 and fell in love with the work. “We’re not just saying the words, we are conveying the message,” she says. “It’s seeing when patients understand and can make informed decisions. To know you’re part of that – it’s really rewarding.”

When a blind and deaf patient came in years ago, she was amazed with how her team collaborated. “We worked together. Since they needed touch to communicate, we had to have specific interpreters available 24 hours a day to provide care. It made the difference.”

As an interpreter, Angulo often saw patients in their most vulnerable states. “Sometimes they were having a baby, or sometimes it was very sad news. But just to know that we were there to bridge that gap, to help them make decisions and have autonomy – it’s meaningful to me.”

The same courage she inspired in the countless others she served would soon be required of her.

The Call to Lead

While Angulo happily spoke up for the marginalized, she struggled to do the same for herself. The idea of leadership felt appealing but impossibly far away – until her manager, Misti, asked if she would consider management roles.

“She came up to me like, ‘Have you ever thought about leadership?’ And I was like, ‘No … not really,’” Angulo laughs.

She accepted the promotion to language access services manager in 2020, and her first challenge was the pandemic. As patients came in with COVID, her team had to improvise.

They constructed a plan: Hospital staff would bring patients an iPad, and interpreters would communicate on a video call from outside. “We had to be creative,” she recalls.

Even under pressure, Angulo always led with empathy. “It’s about asking, ‘What does our patient value the most at this specific time?’”

George Fox – ‘A Safe Place to Be’

After completing her associate degree at Chemeketa Community College, Angulo enrolled in the adult degree program at George Fox University in 2021. She received her bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership the following year.

For Angulo, the best part of George Fox was the Be Known promise – something she experienced as her faculty mentors and peers inspired her to grow. “Professor [Rae] Casey was a great motivator,” she says. “She was like, ‘OK guys, continue with an MBA, continue developing your leadership skills!’”

The support continued from multiple places – leadership at Salem Health encouraged her to continue pursuing a degree too. “I was happy where I was,” she says, “but I love learning, and it opens up so many opportunities.”

Angulo came back to Fox for her MBA in 2024 and graduated a year later. Balancing school, work and family life with her husband and son required intentional effort, but she stepped up to the challenge. Even when Angulo was swamped with homework, she was always excited to apply her knowledge at work.

Earning her MBA hasn’t just been a meaningful milestone for Angulo – it’s been one for her whole family. “I’m a first-generation student, now with a master’s degree. It reflects their sacrifices, resilience and the values they instilled in me. I hope I encourage others with similar backgrounds to believe that these goals are possible.”

As Angulo pursued her MBA, she constantly challenged herself to speak up in her weekly cohort meetings.

“Fox pushed me to find and use my voice. I’m naturally shy, but the smaller cohort helped me step outside my comfort zone,” Angulo says. “Our group was incredibly diverse – different ages, backgrounds and experiences – which made every discussion richer. It really felt like a safe place to be.”

Breaking Down Barriers

Once the quiet girl who hid her accent, Angulo now ensures that no one, in any language, goes unheard.

Angulo challenges herself to share her ideas to make interpretation services more accessible at Salem Health. “It’s something my mentors and leadership have worked with me through. They encourage me by saying, ‘You have great ideas, please share them!’”

While she was completing her MBA in the fall of 2025, Angulo took on additional leadership roles. Beyond Language Access, she also oversees patient advocacy and spiritual care. “My teams stand beside people on some of the hardest days of their lives, and my job is to make sure they have the tools, processes and support to do that well. I see myself as a bridge-builder.”

Remembering how her mother brought clarity in her family’s darkest moments, Angulo knows that finding your voice isn’t selfish – it’s a gateway for others to feel heard too. “When I do share my ideas, it can lead to removing barriers and making change.”