Philosophy Statement
Growing up in Ohio, I was always a kid that loved two things: volleyball and food. As a teenager, while growing like a weed and playing sports every day after school, I ate like an offensive lineman to keep up with my metabolism. Growing up, I did not have a vast knowledge of nutrition; my family rarely talked about it and the nutrition section in health class lasted a couple of weeks, if that. My family did not talk about nutrition because everyone was healthy. I am forever grateful that I never had to worry about where my next meal was coming from, that my family ate dinner together almost every night, and I was always encouraged to be as active as possible. Unfortunately, not every family has the same history. There are numerous people across the United States that have been affected by type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and other nutrition related diseases. Evidence-based research has shown that all of these comorbidities can be monitored and often times prevented with medical nutrition therapy. As a soon to be registered dietitian (RD), I strive to be influential and not a bystander. Part of my philosophy is to jump in and make an impact in the lives of those who need it most by teaching others how vital and life-changing nutrition can be. I intend to help others individually based on their stage of readiness.
Although I was in love with food growing up, I never started to think about nutrition until I landed my first job. I spent my high school years working at the golden arches of McDonald’s. Working at McDonald’s gave me a greater sense of work ethic, time management, and financial responsibility. It also provided me with a free meal each time I worked. My friends thought of this as a “luxury work perk,” but this was when the wheels started to turn about what I was choosing to eat after each shift. I became curious about the nutrition labels on the back of their menu and started to be more aware of what I was using as fuel for my body.
My first in depth look at nutrition did not occur until I went off to college at Tennessee Tech University (TTU). My volleyball coaches began the conversation about nutrition and using food as fuel during pre-season my freshman year. They emphasized the ‘rules’ for what types of food we should be eating during pre-season to fuel our bodies for competition and training, what the macronutrients consisted of and why they were important, and they discussed proper hydration. When classes began my freshman year, I started off as a business major with the intention of receiving a degree in accounting. I quickly realized that accounting was not the right path for me because I was bored in my classes and not passionate about what I was learning. My sophomore year I decided to change majors to Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics. The program director discussed all of the ways nutrition can impact individuals and communities, as well as all of the interesting and diverse career paths you can choose as an RD. Being able to teach and help others and having various work settings to choose from sounded like the perfect career for me. After meeting with my new advisor, I took the plunge and registered for more chemistry, microbiology, anatomy, and nutrition classes. My first year of the didactic program opened my eyes to the world of nutrition and dietetics, and I finally felt at home.
Throughout undergrad I served as the volleyball team’s representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). I became the SAAC Marketing Coordinator my junior year where I served by coordinating events at home games for each sport where our entire athletic department would have a cookout or potluck and watch the game. Uniting the athletic department created a better sense of community. During my senior year I served as the SAAC representative on our Campus Dining Committee. This committee met once a month to discuss and help implement nutritional changes in foodservice and create new and enticing dining experiences on campus. I also volunteered at the Dismas House in Cookeville, TN where I lead various nutrition presentations as well as helped teach the residents how to prepare healthy meals. All of these experiences strengthened my understanding of how food has the power to bring people together. I was also able to gain insight and experience in how to convey scientific nutritional messages in an easier, user-friendly way for community members to understand.
In May 2013, I graduated from TTU with a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology with an emphasis in Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics and moved to Georgia soon after. My original intentions were to work in the field of nutrition for a year and then apply for dietetic internships to begin the following year. I quickly found jobs were scarce if you were not an RD or a dietetic technician registered (DTR). Although discouraged, fate intervened and I became a nanny for a wonderful family of five. I spent the next year as a nanny, substitute teacher, and club volleyball coach. Needless to say I was never bored and always busy. Each of these three jobs involved educating adolescents on various subjects and areas of life. As a substitute, I worked in different classrooms with a different subject matter every day. As a nanny, I spent time helping the children with homework, talking to them about nutrition, and became their mentor and role model. As a volleyball coach I was able to speak with my 12 fifteen-year-olds constantly about the importance of nutrition and how it impacts them as athletes. While working during my year after undergrad, I learned many things about myself. For starters, working with children every day improved my patience. I became more comfortable talking about nutrition and teaching athletes the basics of sports nutrition. My work ethic has always been strong, but balancing three jobs prepared me even more for the time management skills I would need to complete a dietetic internship.
I was determined to pursue my goal of becoming an RD and began to research all of the dietetic internship and graduate programs in the greater Atlanta area. I chose to look at programs in Georgia and the Atlanta area specifically because my husband is from Gwinnett County and we would like to eventually settle down and raise our family here. I went to a few open houses but fell in love when I visited Georgia State University (GSU). I was drawn to GSU’s urban setting, the clinical and sports nutrition rotations available, the courses offered, their strong reputation as a dietetics program in the Atlanta area, and the balance of graduate degree course work and 1200 hours of rotations in a compact 15-month package. I applied to the coordinated program (CP) at GSU and was ecstatic when I was accepted. Georgia State has blessed me with an amazing experience as a Coordinated Program Nutrition Student; and becoming close with my other 11 cohort members has been an added bonus. We are a diverse group from different backgrounds, similar to how GSU is as whole.
My philosophy as an RD-to-be is as follows: balance and moderation are key in nutrition. There are no bad foods; everything can be enjoyed and indulged upon in moderation as part of a healthy lifestyle. I believe individuals come to us at different stages of readiness but with the right tools, each individual has the power to make healthy choices. My ability to be patient will aid in my ability to work with clients on an individual basis as they progress through their lifestyle changes.
My passion lies with educating others and making an impact on someone’s well being. Whether the objective is to lose weight, maintain blood glucose, have enough energy to exercise, or any other personal goal, I believe good nutrition can make a difference in our lives and I want to be one of the professionals working with others to achieve their goals. Looking back, I could not have chosen a better career to be a part of and I am excited to see where my nutrition journey as an RD takes me.
Growing up in Ohio, I was always a kid that loved two things: volleyball and food. As a teenager, while growing like a weed and playing sports every day after school, I ate like an offensive lineman to keep up with my metabolism. Growing up, I did not have a vast knowledge of nutrition; my family rarely talked about it and the nutrition section in health class lasted a couple of weeks, if that. My family did not talk about nutrition because everyone was healthy. I am forever grateful that I never had to worry about where my next meal was coming from, that my family ate dinner together almost every night, and I was always encouraged to be as active as possible. Unfortunately, not every family has the same history. There are numerous people across the United States that have been affected by type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and other nutrition related diseases. Evidence-based research has shown that all of these comorbidities can be monitored and often times prevented with medical nutrition therapy. As a soon to be registered dietitian (RD), I strive to be influential and not a bystander. Part of my philosophy is to jump in and make an impact in the lives of those who need it most by teaching others how vital and life-changing nutrition can be. I intend to help others individually based on their stage of readiness.
Although I was in love with food growing up, I never started to think about nutrition until I landed my first job. I spent my high school years working at the golden arches of McDonald’s. Working at McDonald’s gave me a greater sense of work ethic, time management, and financial responsibility. It also provided me with a free meal each time I worked. My friends thought of this as a “luxury work perk,” but this was when the wheels started to turn about what I was choosing to eat after each shift. I became curious about the nutrition labels on the back of their menu and started to be more aware of what I was using as fuel for my body.
My first in depth look at nutrition did not occur until I went off to college at Tennessee Tech University (TTU). My volleyball coaches began the conversation about nutrition and using food as fuel during pre-season my freshman year. They emphasized the ‘rules’ for what types of food we should be eating during pre-season to fuel our bodies for competition and training, what the macronutrients consisted of and why they were important, and they discussed proper hydration. When classes began my freshman year, I started off as a business major with the intention of receiving a degree in accounting. I quickly realized that accounting was not the right path for me because I was bored in my classes and not passionate about what I was learning. My sophomore year I decided to change majors to Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics. The program director discussed all of the ways nutrition can impact individuals and communities, as well as all of the interesting and diverse career paths you can choose as an RD. Being able to teach and help others and having various work settings to choose from sounded like the perfect career for me. After meeting with my new advisor, I took the plunge and registered for more chemistry, microbiology, anatomy, and nutrition classes. My first year of the didactic program opened my eyes to the world of nutrition and dietetics, and I finally felt at home.
Throughout undergrad I served as the volleyball team’s representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). I became the SAAC Marketing Coordinator my junior year where I served by coordinating events at home games for each sport where our entire athletic department would have a cookout or potluck and watch the game. Uniting the athletic department created a better sense of community. During my senior year I served as the SAAC representative on our Campus Dining Committee. This committee met once a month to discuss and help implement nutritional changes in foodservice and create new and enticing dining experiences on campus. I also volunteered at the Dismas House in Cookeville, TN where I lead various nutrition presentations as well as helped teach the residents how to prepare healthy meals. All of these experiences strengthened my understanding of how food has the power to bring people together. I was also able to gain insight and experience in how to convey scientific nutritional messages in an easier, user-friendly way for community members to understand.
In May 2013, I graduated from TTU with a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology with an emphasis in Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics and moved to Georgia soon after. My original intentions were to work in the field of nutrition for a year and then apply for dietetic internships to begin the following year. I quickly found jobs were scarce if you were not an RD or a dietetic technician registered (DTR). Although discouraged, fate intervened and I became a nanny for a wonderful family of five. I spent the next year as a nanny, substitute teacher, and club volleyball coach. Needless to say I was never bored and always busy. Each of these three jobs involved educating adolescents on various subjects and areas of life. As a substitute, I worked in different classrooms with a different subject matter every day. As a nanny, I spent time helping the children with homework, talking to them about nutrition, and became their mentor and role model. As a volleyball coach I was able to speak with my 12 fifteen-year-olds constantly about the importance of nutrition and how it impacts them as athletes. While working during my year after undergrad, I learned many things about myself. For starters, working with children every day improved my patience. I became more comfortable talking about nutrition and teaching athletes the basics of sports nutrition. My work ethic has always been strong, but balancing three jobs prepared me even more for the time management skills I would need to complete a dietetic internship.
I was determined to pursue my goal of becoming an RD and began to research all of the dietetic internship and graduate programs in the greater Atlanta area. I chose to look at programs in Georgia and the Atlanta area specifically because my husband is from Gwinnett County and we would like to eventually settle down and raise our family here. I went to a few open houses but fell in love when I visited Georgia State University (GSU). I was drawn to GSU’s urban setting, the clinical and sports nutrition rotations available, the courses offered, their strong reputation as a dietetics program in the Atlanta area, and the balance of graduate degree course work and 1200 hours of rotations in a compact 15-month package. I applied to the coordinated program (CP) at GSU and was ecstatic when I was accepted. Georgia State has blessed me with an amazing experience as a Coordinated Program Nutrition Student; and becoming close with my other 11 cohort members has been an added bonus. We are a diverse group from different backgrounds, similar to how GSU is as whole.
My philosophy as an RD-to-be is as follows: balance and moderation are key in nutrition. There are no bad foods; everything can be enjoyed and indulged upon in moderation as part of a healthy lifestyle. I believe individuals come to us at different stages of readiness but with the right tools, each individual has the power to make healthy choices. My ability to be patient will aid in my ability to work with clients on an individual basis as they progress through their lifestyle changes.
My passion lies with educating others and making an impact on someone’s well being. Whether the objective is to lose weight, maintain blood glucose, have enough energy to exercise, or any other personal goal, I believe good nutrition can make a difference in our lives and I want to be one of the professionals working with others to achieve their goals. Looking back, I could not have chosen a better career to be a part of and I am excited to see where my nutrition journey as an RD takes me.