Today we’d like to introduce you to Margaret Hall.
Hi Margaret, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Western PA – between Pittsburgh and Erie, and about 5 minutes from the Ohio border. I was fortunate to live in a small town, among a cluster of small towns, surrounded by my mother’s family. My maternal grandparents migrated from South Carolina to PA, each with multiple siblings, sometime between my oldest uncle and my mother being born. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized how intentional they had been about relocating with family to create instant community. When I think about how I started and how I got to where I am today, I think of family, Faith, and community.
I never planned to move to North Carolina. When I was awarded a full scholarship to Bennett College (Greensboro, NC), my older sister didn’t let me turn it down. She drove from Maryland to pick my up in PA and drove me to Greensboro. She dropped me off at a school that I never visited in a city I knew nothing about, and I appreciate that! (My mother was at summer camp for the Army Reserves at the time.) After Bennett, I studied (Public Health – Biostatistics) at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, and decided to start my career, and eventually my family, in the Triangle area.
Life since graduate school has been full of ups and down, which has allowed me to strengthen my Faith and better understand the value of community.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life has not been a smooth road. My maternal grandmother died days after I was born. My grandfather’s house was destroyed by a tornado when I was five. I lived a family member with a drug addiction as a teen, which led to some unnecessary financial instability. I was in an abusive relationship for years after graduate school. My youngest son is nonverbal with autism and global developmental delays. I was laid off in 2023, after over eight years with the company. And just a week ago, I was told that the transmission in my car is slipping and will cost over $8,000 to fix.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Since being laid off from my Statistical Programming role, I have been able to take some time to reflect on what my ideal career would look like.
I’ve decided that I want earning a PhD to be in my future. I am really interested in Duke’s Population Health Sciences PhD program. I would love to conduct research and encourage interventions around decreasing crime through improving mental health support for vulnerable and at-risk populations.
I am currently in the Clinical Research – Core Competencies program at Durham Tech, and will be a part of the 2026 cohort of the Clinical Research Scholars program, hosted by Duke University, where I will be trained on “strategies to engage with marginalized populations and incorporate equitable practices into the research process”.
I was also recently awarded a $10,000 grant from Durham Public Schools (DPS) Foundation to provide DPS students with mental health support and safe spaces. One way the grant will be used is to offer gift cards to parents, caregivers, DPS teachers and staff, who students identify as a “safe person” for completing the Youth Mental Health First Aid Training. This will help the students’ safe person tobe better prepared to identify and handle mental health challenges.
I have completed the Youth Mental Health First Aid training and I am currently in the Bull City Strong Health Promoters program. My goal is to prepare myself to better serve my community!
What matters most to you? Why?
Community (including family) matters. We are all connected, and our success or failure impacts one another directly or indirectly. The more divided we are, the more the community, as a whole, suffers. A symptom of Community Mattering is equitable access to resources and opportunities.
I would like to highlight a few of the organizations that I have found community with in Durham. I welcome everyone to support if possible.
Durham Tech – donate to Durham Tech Foundation (https://www.durhamtech.edu/durham-tech-foundation/donation-form)
Miracle League of the Triangle – donate (https://www.mygiving.net/donate/Main-Donation-Page) or volunteer (https://mltriangle.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/)
Durham Public Schools – donate to DPS Foundation (https://www.bullcityschools.org/donate)
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