I am currently working on my master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences, with the plan to graduate in May of 2027. I plan to become a Registered Dietitian, and have been working on completing my internship. Ultimately I want to specialize in kidney disease and plan to get the Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition credential. My grandpa has renal function loss; making this speciality area very personal to me. I hope to help these patients feel like they are in control of their disease state, not the other way around. Academically and financially, achieving my future goals will be difficult. With my program being a one year fast-track master’s program in combination with my mandatory unpaid internship that requires a minimum of 1,000 hours, maintaining a detailed plan is necessary. With my internship running on a typical 40 hours per week schedule, I have to find creative income outlets. I haven’t had the ability to pay for my fall tuition that is just shy of $7,000. My spring tuition is expected to roughly be the same. As I pay for my education independently, I financially plan to apply daily/weekly to scholarships, utilize my savings responsibly, and earn income through my side-jobs. I prioritize my educational related costs and if my financial plan isn’t enough, I will have to utilize student loans to ensure I can stay enrolled in my program until completion. Receiving financial assistance would largely help reduce the amount of debt I could potentially need to take on; as my current sources of income are not reliable. Also, financial help would largely help me push more of my focus on studying, rather than how I plan to pay for my internship/education. Immediately after my May graduation, I plan to prepare and take my Registered Dietitian examination as soon as I am able. The fee for the exam is currently $200, which I plan to also prepare for in advance with my side jobs. The goal of taking my exam quickly after graduation is to allow me to begin my practice and have a paying job as fast as possible. Preparing adequately beforehand will be necessary to my exam date, as I want to only take the exam once. I currently have a study schedule that I follow and I have an accumulated list of topics I need to broaden my knowledge on before I am confident in taking the exam. My dedication to my studies will help me with my one time exam goal, which in return will decrease the cost of the exam, as I wouldn’t have to retake. After passing my CDR exam to become a Registered Dietitian, I will apply everywhere that is hiring in my area. Working in a dialysis setting would be ideal, but I will happily work in any space that gives me valuable work experiences. Long-term I would like to get my Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition credential. To do so, I will need to have documented 2,000 hours of renal-related practice and have been a registered dietitian for 2 years. The price of the exam is $350, without taking into account the price of study material. I will also have to keep in mind that to maintain this speciality certification, I will need to redo this process every 5 years. Though my goals will cost me a lot in terms of my finances and time; I am determined to persevere. I plan to help as many patients as possible, and give them the necessary tools to aid their health with their diagnosis.

Upon reflecting on all of Taylor Swift's performances, the one that sticks out to me is “Anti-Hero”. The performance focuses on a notion that we are all too familiar with, and that would be body image. Even with Taylor being talented and famous, she still deals with the struggle of body image. With her consistently being in front of cameras, it has been shared with us that she has been deeply impacted by scrutiny on her appearance and has therefore struggled with her relationship with food. Her disordered eating was discussed in Miss Americana and her openly discussing this not so glamorous side of her lifestyle, has allowed her to relate personally with her audience. “Anti-Hero” makes me emotional as it reminds me of how prevalent self confidence issues can be, even when considering those who we view to be the epitome of confidence. Rather than “Anti-Hero” just being a performance, it becomes a window into the realm of Taylor’s mind that makes her feel less than due to self perceived appearance issues. When comparing this idea to my future career of becoming a dietitian, this message prevails to be extremely important. The standards of today make individuals feel that being more thin resembles the ideal of health and beauty. However, it isn’t talked enough about how our health is dictated by far more than what the scale says or what our BMI classifies us as. Going into nutrition, I think the perception people have about their body image can be significantly impacted by dietitians. In the future, I plan to teach people not focus so much on their diet and bodies that they stop enjoying life. Everything is about balance and fueling our bodies in a way that supports our health. Taylor’s experience with this area can help show the negative impacts of tying self-worth with appearances. The part about Taylor’s performance that is so liberating is that she is sharing this struggle that likely is relatable to many of her supporters, and is doing it publicly to bring light to the subject. Even with a stadium full of individuals cheering her on, she still can feel uncomfortable with her appearance; making “Anti-Hero” the most powerful to me. Through her performance we can reflect on the fact that everybody struggles with their image in some capacity and in return, we should focus on putting our views of self worth into areas that are more beneficial; such as how we treat others. In the future I plan to instill this positive mindset of eating and body image into those I help.

When listening to Olivia Rodrigo’s songs, it is clear that she aims to encapsulate the complicated feelings that arise from growing up in a world where self-worth and appearance are so closely tied. Listening to her music has therefore allowed me to reflect on how I view my own body image and in return, navigate how my experiences will shape me into the kind of dietitian I want to become in the future. Songs like “jealousy, jealousy” and “pretty isn’t pretty”, investigate the ideas of trying to find comfort in one’s body, though it is seemingly being scrutinized by others, or one’s self. In “jealousy, jealousy”, we hear about the feeling of being constantly compared to others that seem to have everything you wish you had. Comparison being the thief of joy is largely conveyed within this song and through the music, we can relate to how consuming this feeling can become. Growing up in a very digital age has made me more aware of my appearance and how I view myself in relation to others. The unrealistic expectations we have for people make it really difficult for individuals to find that happiness in their appearance, without change. Olivia’s music has reminded me that feeling like this isn’t a unique experience and at the same time, these expectations aren’t something I have to hold as true. “Pretty isn’t pretty” is another song that stands out, as it points out that just because an individual looks a certain way, doesn’t automatically mean they feel confident. So, changing to fit beauty standards of the time, doesn’t automatically alleviate our insecurities. Personally understanding this message has helped with how I view body image in respect to how nutrition can impact our appearance. Nutrition should be utilized as a way to help us physically feel stronger, and healthier. To use food as a way to “fix” our body’s image is a slippery slope that I wouldn’t advise individuals to follow. Rather, I want others to see nutrition as a way to support our energy levels, quality of life, and health. Going into the field of dietetics, I want to ensure I keep all of these lessons with me. Dietitians can help influence how others think about nutrition and their bodies; therefore, I want to practice in a way that promotes positive goals for individuals. Many factors go into how we eat and how we view our body; therefore I want to try to set goals that focus on how they physically/mentally feel. I want to support those who come to see me with dignity and relieve any feelings of judgement they may have worried about. Olivia Rodrigo’s music has helped highlight that our body image is largely connected to comparison, identity, and confidence; with respect to the influences from the digital age and current beauty standards. As I work towards becoming a dietitian, I hope to use my understanding of body image to help others build a positive relationship with themselves and how they eat. I want to empower my patients in the future and show them there are far better physiological reasons to want to eat nutritionally, and take care of our bodies, that aren’t influenced by the end goal of getting our bodies to look a certain way.

With my pursuit of going into the field of dietetics, I ultimately have a goal to build a community where people dealing with a new, or old, chronic illness diagnosis can feel a sense of empowerment and support through the lens of nutrition. I want to help people feel more in control of their health, especially considering how overwhelming a chronic illness diagnosis can feel. Therefore, my ultimate goal is to get people to move from feeling powerless about their medical situation, to confident in the ways they can utilize their nutritional choices to promote better health. To build this community, I will want to focus on group counseling sessions where individuals can talk about all things nutrition, personal experiences, and everything in between. Rather than telling what is or isn’t allowed within their diet, I want to give individuals all the educational resources appropriate to help them ultimately make the best choice for themselves. Everyone is different, therefore what works for one person may not work for another. Giving people a space to share their experiences allows others to set realistic goals for themselves and learn from others what they may want to try. Building a community such as this will hopefully provide a sense of belonging to these individuals and redefine what it means to be healthy. Group counseling allows for people to feel heard from others going through the same, or similar, daily battles with chronic illness. The sessions can help give a space to celebrate new progress being made and demonstrate what being healthy looks like. Having a healthy relationship with nutrition doesn't have to mean having a perfect diet, it can mean using the knowledge given to make informed decisions to enhance health. Life doesn’t have to pause once a diagnosis is made, but having resources to understand how nutrition can impact their health can empower individuals to navigate their diagnosis, and advocate for their health. Creating this community will hopefully drive a positive change within the patients lives and empower people to share all they have learned once having the diagnosis. Doing such can create a powerful ripple effect where individuals in the community share their support and education of the subject; giving others a chance to better their physical symptoms, while supporting their self efficacy. I want to build a future where people don’t feel defined by the diagnosis they have, but recognize the diagnosis as a beginning to navigating control back in their nutrition and lives.

Growing up I have always looked up to my grandpa and how selfless he was in all he did. When his cancer came back in 2020, it felt like my world had stopped. However, as he went through his treatment I found it admirable to watch my grandma and grandpa research how impactful nutrition is while your body tries to heal. My grandparents dove into reading lots of nutrition research for a while and as I heard some of the therapeutic effects of foods they were looking into. Watching how the food my grandpa ate played a role in his recovery process made me realize this is a field I would like to explore further as I found an interest in the role nutrition plays in our health. Yet, food is far more than fuel. Food is a way for people to connect. Most of my favorite memories are food oriented; from baking cinnamon rolls with my great grandma to standing outside chatting with my dad as he grilled. Through these experiences I determined I wanted to be a person of comfort and aid to people going through hard times with their physical health. I feel very grateful for the life I have lived and want to give back in a meaningful way. Working with others through not only leadership positions, but labs as well, has fostered my strong communication and decision making skills. I find myself in situations often through my leadership roles where my committee members confide in me. A quick conversation will typically lead to deeper conversations that are more meaningful for me and my peers. I listen a lot and try to put others at ease, asking for clarification when needed. I see adaptability as a key component in the work field as I can go with any needed changes and find ways to make them work. The approachability of my personality will make clients feel comfortable to speak freely about what is actually going on in their life. Establishing trust with clients will allow them to freely share genuine concerns in regards to their eating habits. Both adaptability and approachability are skills that I think will enhance my future careers. I hope that being a woman in this career helps open the eyes of other women deterring on whether or not to get into STEM oriented majors due to intimidation from lack of representation. We are far more capable than we give ourselves credit for and through learning this, I have found life is far more enjoyable when we start reaching for what we are passionate about. I hope all women find their inner voice and strength to go for what they believe in.

When it comes to nutrition, the best way to inform patients is by first analyzing their entire background. Reviewing their social determinants of health to ensure that the interventions being suggested are applicable is key to maintaining respect with a patient. From there, you can appropriately give nutrition education and set up families with resources (SNAP, WIC, etc.) to be successful. However, it is important to be mindful that the way nutrition education is formatted will depend on the effectiveness. Perhaps the patients are unaware of what macronutrients are and in a session we would want to focus on how to read “big picture” items on a food label. Or if a patient has type two diabetes and is consistently high for blood sugar readings, but constantly drinking full sugar sodas throughout the day; try suggesting they consume diet soda instead. Reaching for the low hanging fruit to make subtle changes at first will help gradual progression towards healthier lifestyle habits. Once a patient is established and they have a fairly broad idea of general nutrition information for their disease states, going into depth on their conditions goes back to focusing on their education needs. Setting SMART goals is going to be key in these meetings. A SMART goal is one that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. The goal should be drawn from what the patient is demonstrating they find achievable. Therefore, before the goal I will need to determine their level of preparedness by comparing them to the readiness for change model. If a patient comes in and is in the precontemplation stage and therefore is completely unready for any lifestyle changes, I am not going to suggest drastic interventions; but rather focus on more easily digestible education. All in all, it is crucial when assessing and coming up with a plan that is effective for a patient that it is catered specifically to them. Plenty of nutrition counseling will need to occur, so being familiar with motivational interviewing and how to conduct group counseling sessions could be skills that are important to be familiarized with. In general, I specifically would educate patients and families largely depending on what I learn when building rapport with them. In the future as a dietitian, I will never give my patients standardized care, as it is never a “one size fits all” approach. Each patient has their own story and factors that are playing into their health, it is my role to listen to them, to then make actionable suggestions that create self efficacy. The goal is a lifestyle change that they understand the importance of, not a quick fix.

Math was always a subject that I enjoyed as the right answer would present itself, and if it didn’t, you could back track your way in the problem to see where the issue occurred. Even more than this, I adored the way that math presents itself in everything. Being a nutritional science major, math was very foundational for many of my classes; especially when it came to conversions. Utilizing my love for math came in handy and made chemistry 1 during my sophomore year of college a lot more enjoyable. However, an even better example of how we see math everywhere, is during the times you go out to grab a slice of pizza with a group of friends and suddenly are doing geometry to determine how to cut the pizza to ensure everyone gets their fair share. Growing up I remember I had a love, hate relationship for the subject until I realized that my entire negative outlook stemmed from me striving for perfection in getting the problems right on the first time. However, as I got older, the negativity subsided as I learned to love seeing all my erased pencil marks beneath my work as it showed the work it took to get to the final answer. Sometimes the best lessons we learn in life can be through something as simple, yet foundational, as our math classes.