BOSTON – Natalia Frois of Hyannis and Maria Partida of Nantucket were recently recognized as Latinx Trailblazers in ceremony, held virtually via the Statehouse.

Organized by the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus to celebrate the close of Latinx Heritage Month, the awards and ceremony celebrate Latinx culture, excellence, and achievement in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Nominated by State Rep. Will Crocker (R-Centerville), Frois was acknowledged for her numerous contributions to the local community. Most recently, she founded her own business, International Business Relations, where she acts as a tri-lingual business relations consultant and analyst.

Frois has served as a tri-lingual interpreter for Cape Cod Healthcare and continues to use her linguistic skills as a tri-lingual domestic and sexual violence counselor and advocate at Independence House and as an interpreter at St. Xavier Church.

Additionally, she is a member of the Cape and Islands Commission on the Status of Women, a member of Board of Trustees of the Hyannis Public Library, and is active in the Barnstable Sunshine Rotary. In 2019, she helped to organize the first Latino Business Expo on Cape Cod in Spanish.

“I was very pleased to nominate Natalia for this award,” Crocker said in an Oct. 29 statement. “She is a true example of what you can accomplish as a first-generation American, emigrating from Brazil. Congratulations, Natalia! Wishing you many more years of continued success.”