Longevity is about more than just living a longer life. Many people live long lives but aren't able to fully enjoy their later years due to the surfacing of health conditions, lack of mobility, or even a lack of social support. This is why I believe that focusing on all aspects of health is the best way to achieve true longevity. The focus should lay on multiple factors: nutrition, physical activity, relationships with others, hobbies, and spiritual growth. Proper nutrition not only helps to fuel the body, but it can also prevent the development of chronic disease. Our general eating patterns today impact how we will feel and function in the future. A diet full of fiber and phytonutrient-rich colors, and low in added sugars and saturated fats, has been clinically shown to reduce chronic disease risk. The same reasoning goes for physical activity. Exercise keeps our bones and muscles strong so we can remain self-sufficient and mobile in old age, rather than having to rely on others to perform even the simplest activities of daily living. Health is not only physical. Maintaining healthy relationships with others, making time for hobbies, reducing stress, and spiritual growth are also crucial for longevity. These factors all greatly impact mental health, which is another fundamental aspect of our overall health. Filling your life with meaning and experiences is connected to more positive emotions, reduced risk of mental health disorders, and increased life expectancy. Since all of these aspects of our health are intertwined, with the psychological and spiritual impacting the physical (and vice versa), a holistic approach is the key to achieving healthy, happy longevity. Everything is connected: the steps we take today to prioritize our health and wellness now will benefit us for years to come.

I am absolutely petrified of heights. Knowing this fact about me, you would probably think that it would be safe to assume that I would never choose to spend the night hanging from the side of a cliff... but you'd be wrong. I faced my fears by climbing over 1,300 feet above the Sacred Valley of Peru in order to sleep in a glass pod dangling off the face of a mountain. Was I afraid? Yes, at first. Then, I adapted and was able to fully embrace being out of my comfort zone, one thousand feet closer to the stars.

Life doesn't always go the way we plan, and let's be honest, 2020 was the perfect embodiment of that statement. At the end of 2019, my goals for 2020 were as follows: travel to 5 new countries, finish required prerequisites so I can apply to (and be accepted into) my dream nutrition master's program, and save at least $10,000 to help pay for graduate school. By the end of 2020, only one of those goals was satisfied, and I bet you can guess it wasn't the one about traveling or saving money. In March of 2020, I was unexpectedly pushed into unemployment from my seemingly stable job in bartending and restaurant management. The ironic thing about being furloughed from a bartending gig is that it is actually considered a recession-proof job. Something I wouldn't have ever thought to prepare for was a pandemic... and I quickly found out that bartending is absolutely not pandemic-proof! Losing my job and a reliable income quickly made it impossible to hit my savings goal, and the pandemic made it impossible to hit my travel goal. One goal remained, and that was to focus on my education and be accepted into my dream program at the University of Southern California. Instead of sinking into the depths of financial despair, I spent the year with the mentality that it was MY year to focus on my career change to nutrition. I adopted a growth mindset, unveiling the adaptive resilience within me that ultimately helped me survive the toughest year of my life. First, I had uninterrupted time to focus on completing the prerequisites for my dream master's program and making my application as polished as possible. Second, I sought out both volunteer and compensated positions with registered dietitians to gain hundreds of hours of essential experience in the field. Everything I did in 2020 was to ensure my acceptance into USC's program, and I did it... Goal achieved: I got in! I am now thankful to have gone through this burden because it has enhanced my financial awareness, illustrated the necessity of living within my means, and motivated me to maintain an emergency fund stashed away for any future unexpected recessions or pandemics. My 2020 experience may have permanently changed the way that I look at finances, but I also attained the realization that chasing my dreams and my purpose is always worth investing in because life can be full of surprises. This is why I believe investing in education is so critical, but unfortunately, that sometimes means taking out loans and accruing debt. As someone who already has student loan debt and will also have to take out even more debt to attend my master’s program, I feel satisfied that my adaptability will continue to come into play as I continue to work part-time to pay my bills and invest in my dream of becoming a dietitian and nutrition expert. One day in the near future, this strength and commitment will extend to my future nutrition clients, as I will be wholly devoted to improving the wellbeing of each and every person that I have the privilege to assist. I simply cannot wait.

I have always been the type of person who says "yes" to every opportunity, oftentimes resulting in me feeling like I've bitten off more than I can chew. Because of this, chronic stress and anxiety are things I have always struggled with. My type-A, perfectionist mentality always puts one hundred and ten percent of myself into everything I do, and it would accurate to describe myself as someone who has "high-functioning anxiety." Before the pandemic, I was leading a fast-paced, no-breaks lifestyle, working full-time while also attending school in order to fulfill my dream of becoming a dietitian. My fundamental ambition in life is to help as many people as possible to achieve their optimal health, well-being, and longevity. I now realize that this non-stop lifestyle is unsustainable and the eventual burn-out directly opposes everything I will be preaching in my future holistic nutrition and wellness practice. With the onset of the pandemic, my life changed both suddenly and drastically. Being a restaurant manager, I was hit with an unexpected and indefinite furlough and was forced into unemployment. Like many people, the mounting stress about my finances and my future contributed to some pandemic weight gain and increased levels of depression. The silver lining is that this experience has triggered my passion for helping those who are experiencing chronic stress and counteracting its negative consequences on our health. Having my life pulled out from under me in this way eventually led to the realization that I need to practice what I preach. I have to focus on creating some serious boundaries in my life moving forward in order to start taking care of myself in the same way I hope to take care of my future nutrition clients. Prioritizing spending time with friends and family, practicing self-care, and ensuring a healthy amount of relaxing downtime from work has become increasingly important to me. Making time for the people and the things that make me happy has improved my mental health tremendously over the past year. I now realize that spending less time on the grind improves my relationships and makes me an overall more productive and happier person. Without a doubt, this experience over the past year has solidified my desire to become a private practice dietitian. I will dedicate my life to preventing and healing health issues in order to help others to start feeling like their best selves again. After my direct experience, I am now interested in counteracting the adverse effects of chronic stress with future clients, providing them with the tools necessary to better handle stress, which will also improve life and longevity. Additionally, as somebody who has recently dealt with issues regarding my body image due to pandemic-related weight gain, I now plan to promote body positivity and an "all foods fit" mentality in my future practice so I can also help to alleviate mental health issues, including eating disorders. I aim to shift the focus onto practicing nutrition for the prevention of chronic disease, longevity, and ensuring an excellent quality of life in our later years, rather than on weight loss and obeying society’s standards of beauty. My ultimate desire is to help others live happier and healthier lives; this is exactly why I am on the path to becoming a registered dietitian. After my training and certification, I will launch my virtual practice and build a community of individuals who wish to live their happiest, healthiest, and most fruitful lives. My holistic nutrition practice will involve providing nutrition and health education, promoting self-love and self-care, encouraging stress management, and personalizing nutrition recommendations since each one of us has different needs. I firmly believe that small changes can have massive impacts, especially when you are sharing your passions with others in the hopes of enhancing their lives. The small changes that I have made over the past year with setting boundaries and prioritizing my health and well-being will ultimately allow me to become more capable of extending my passion for this subject into the care and support for the health, happiness, and longevity of others. And I cannot wait to get started.

Entrepreneurship appeals to those of us who refuse to be bound by the confines of a regular 9-5 job with a set salary and limited time off. Running your own business gives you the control necessary to construct your own future and infinite freedom to follow your passions. Having this freedom leads to boundless opportunities where you can connect with other people to share your passions and inspire them to follow your lead. I strongly believe that when you have a business you are passionate about, there is an opportunity for success. In my case, once I have graduated from the University of Southern California’s Master’s in Nutrition, Healthspan, and Longevity program and become a registered dietitian, my entrepreneurial goal is to launch a virtual private practice. I envision my practice being one hundred percent online, as I’ve always aspired to be my own boss, run my own business, and have the freedom to work from anywhere in the world. Over the past year, I've had the pleasure of working underneath five different dietitians while learning from them about how they run their nutrition businesses. I've been extremely fortunate to have these experiences because I have been able to learn skill sets that won't be taught in my graduate program, including web design, search engine optimization, social media marketing, how to construct online courses, and blog writing. Learning these business skills ahead of launching my own nutrition business has been invaluable, and the mentorship I've received has been unmatched. I feel both prepared and thrilled to begin my entrepreneurial journey, and I plan to pay it forward by offering my own mentorship and guidance to future dietitians. One of the foremost reasons I am drawn to entrepreneurship is the fact that it will give me the freedom to set my own schedule and work from anywhere in the world. Other than health and wellness, traveling is my absolute biggest passion. I thrive when leaving my comfort zone, immersing myself in new cultures, and in turn learning more about myself. Immediately upon learning about how many employers don't provide very much guaranteed paid vacation, I knew that a typical 9-5 job was not the route I wanted to take. For me, the freedom to travel guarantees my optimal mental health. Dedicating my hard work to my own business will ensure that I will have the ability to continue to see the world, grow as an individual, and become a better mentor and dietitian to those I will have the opportunity to assist.

Memento is my favorite film of all time. The scenes unfold in reverse order, mirroring Leonard's short-term memory loss condition, which leaves the audience in suspense until previous moments from the timeline are exposed. Each day Leonard wakes up and uses mementos he's left for himself to unveil his life's purpose: finding his wife's killer. By the end of the movie, it becomes apparent that Leonard's crusade to find the murderer isn't what we originally believed it to be... Leonard lies to himself to give his life meaning. The only thing he knows he can trust is his own handwriting, however, he actively deceives his future self with this method because he knows that he will not remember if it's a lie. The audience tags along for a wild ride as the truth is exposed scene by scene. There is not any other movie quite like Memento, and even after seeing it 100 times, I'm still amazed. Individuals are made up of collections of experiences, captured and stored as memories within our brains. But what happens to our identities and our realities if we can no longer form new memories? This film plays with the themes of memory, deception, reality, and control. I find the concept of constructing one's own reality by lying to oneself to be the perfect plot twist for a character with a memory disability. Leonard is able to maintain a semblance of control in his life through his self-deception, but his true identity is something he hides from himself, and his reality is fabricated. In Memento, it isn't until the very end of the movie that you fully understand what you've witnessed throughout. This movie is clever, shocking, and really makes you think. Those are my favorite kind of movies, and why Memento tops my list.

Being civic-minded, in my opinion, is an essential responsibility of being a good citizen. Every citizen can become closer to their community by being involved in some way, and feeling closer to your community is the first step in making it a better place to live. Becoming active in your community directly exposes you to the issues and hidden circumstances that other people may be facing within your area and helps raise your social awareness. I strongly believe that when you lend a hand to one person or to a group of people, the benefits extend to everyone. The most pertinent thing we can do to help our community is to use our voices and vote in all local elections. Since most people tend to only vote during presidential elections, local elections are often not given the same level of importance. I, however, make it a point to stand up for what I believe in and vote for policies that would better my community in each election, no matter how small. Voting in local elections is one small way you can make a change in your community. Volunteering or fundraising is another critical aspect of citizenship. I wholly believe that helping the community is of benefit to each person living there. In the past, I have volunteered with the Blind Children's Center of Los Angeles. I have participated in car washes and 5k runs in order to raise money to support the education of visually impaired children in my community. At my workplace, during the holiday season each year, we choose a busy Saturday night to pool all of our tips together in order to purchase holiday gifts and basic necessities for Toys for Tots. We advertise this night in advance to ensure that our community can come out to support our efforts. Every year, we average $3000 in tips to help alleviate some of the stress of needy families in our community during the holiday season. When I become a registered dietitian, my plan is to continue my civic duties through nutrition education. Since there is so much misinformation in the world of nutrition, I feel a certain responsibility for counteracting misleading or incorrect information within my community. My primary goal is to ensure that my community is both healthier and happier through my education efforts. I would greatly enjoy hosting presentations about eating for longevity and disease prevention to underprivileged students within Los Angeles in order to help the next generation live longer, more fruitful lives. Education is the first step to making a change, and since young students are our future, I believe starting there can make a difference that truly lasts. It is also of great importance to address the lack of availability of healthful food options in certain areas. Depending on where you live, access to nutritious foods can be scarce. This absolutely should not be happening in the United States because access to nutrition should be considered a human right. Through food drives and improved public policy, I believe that we can put an end to food deserts and help needy communities get the nutrition they deserve. No matter how one chooses to be active in their community, it ultimately benefits everyone. Community service leads to higher levels of compassion for your neighbors, supplies personal fulfillment, and makes the world a better place.

Legacy is about living one's life with conviction and purpose in order to leave a mark on the world in some valuable way. Overall, legacy is about making an impact, so I believe that the concept of legacy can be thought of as a spectrum. Both large and small legacies can be left behind, impacting individuals, communities, and the world. At the most extreme end of the spectrum, it is possible to leave a legacy by changing the world we live in. The greatest hearts and minds whose names are engrained within students' minds by educators far and wide are perfect examples of these macro-scale legacies. These legacies are so tenacious that they last generations upon generations and are unlikely to ever fade in the depths of history. Icons who make discoveries that change the way we think about the world, politicians and activists who alter laws to ensure liberty and equality for all, and scientists who cure diseases or invent new technologies are examples of massive, enduring legacies. At the other end of the spectrum, on a micro-scale, a parent can leave a legacy by ensuring their children become well-adjusted, unique individuals who go on to lead their lives with their passions. Parents can inspire through their own actions, instilling within their children a moral conscience, core values, a desire to shoot for the stars, and an understanding that one should treat others with dignity and respect. Passing along skills, traditions, and family tales can help make this kind of family legacy persist. A good friend can also leave a legacy by being supportive, honest, and reliable. Being shown a single shining example of what a great friend truly looks like can mean that those characteristics are passed between friends, spanning the full six degrees of separation and ultimately reaching every single person on this planet. Each of these legacies is remembered and cherished by the people they touched, impacting the world, albeit on a much smaller scale. However, this small-scale legacy, when left by enough people, can absolutely change the world. When considering my personal legacy, my main objective is to help others live happier and healthier lives; this is exactly why I am on the path to becoming a Registered Dietitian. After my training and certification, I will launch my virtual practice and build a community of individuals who wish to live their healthiest, most fruitful lives. My practice will involve nutrition education, self-love and self-care, stress management, functional nutrition and hormone lab testing, and personalized nutrition recommendations that will help each person reach their optimal health. The legacy I wish to leave on the world is one that touches the lives of as many humans as possible, each of whom will go on to promote healthier lifestyles to their loved ones, successively promoting better health and wellness to future generations. I firmly believe that small changes can make huge impacts, especially when you are sharing your passions with others in the hopes of enhancing their lives. My kind of legacy begins with an individual and then has a domino effect, eventually nourishing the lives of the entire world for future generations to come.

My carbon footprint is half that of the standard American simply because I have been a vegetarian for over half of my life. This dietary decision came to me easily after researching both the health and environmental impacts of the standard meat-centric western diet. For me, living as a vegetarian means consuming a wide variety of colorful, nutrient-dense, whole plant foods and avoiding less sustainable animal products. In the near future, I strive to become a Registered Dietitian who promotes environmentally ethical plant-based eating practices to both help heal our bodies and the planet. Since people are living longer than ever before, it is now more crucial than ever to support our health throughout the lifespan so that we can all lead more independent and fruitful lives as we age. Also, since the environment is in a state of chaos as humans destroy the Amazon rainforest to have more space for livestock to graze-just so we can kill and eat them-it is obvious that being vegetarian directly supports the environment. In my studies to become a dietitian, I feel ecstatic that my program focuses on longevity. In my opinion, we can't discuss human health and longevity without discussing the health and longevity of our planet. This is because we can't have human longevity without a healthy, thriving planet to support it. I believe sustainability should be at the forefront of each and every conversation in nutrition. If we yield to unsustainable practices because they are cheaper or more convenient, then we may not have access to healthy natural foods in the near future. All of this is exactly why I am a huge proponent of the Meditteranean Diet. I believe that a balanced, longevity-focused diet should include whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, tons of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats from olive oil, and loads of flavor from spices and herbs. Avoiding processed foods and reducing meat consumption are also important factors for this healthy lifestyle. The Meditteranean Diet is proven to be extremely sustainable, both in terms of sustainable farming and in terms of adherence. Eating natural, in-season plant-based foods directly supports local farmers, your health, and the state of the environment. Another bonus is that this method of eating is delicious. I yearn to be a valued educator in the world of nutrition misinformation, shooting down food myths as they pop up in my path. I want my future nutrition private practice to be a source of inspiration for others to start leading more natural and healthier lives. I'm a strong believer in putting your money where your mouth is, literally, through supporting the small farmers by purchasing and consuming their products. If enough of us start voting with our forks and our wallets, then maybe someday soon there will no longer be a demand for polluting factory farms. Then we can start to breathe easier knowing that we are doing our part to support the health and longevity of both humans and Earth itself.

As someone who values travel above almost everything else in life, I plan on launching a travel blog this Summer. Something that I have always found to be lacking on other travel websites is the capability of answering all of my questions about a destination in a single place. Often, I find myself googling for hours to look at 20-30 blogs to find all of the information I am seeking, and this is something I will absolutely address when it comes to my personal website. I want my travel blog to be the one-stop-shop for anything you could possibly desire to learn about traveling to specific destinations. My second largest passion is health, nutrition, and wellness. In addition to running a travel blog, I will also prepare my nutrition website and build myself as a brand prior to completing my nutrition Master's degree in 2023. I yearn to provide evidence-based, scientifically valid nutrition and wellness material to the world within an industry where misinformation is especially abundant. Since June 2020, I have worked with various dietitians on improving their nutrition blogs with evidence-based content and search engine optimization to maximize the number of people who are able to find and learn from my content. I wholeheartedly believe that if my content doesn't both inform and inspire people, then it isn't worth writing at all. My goal is to share my vast knowledge of the realms of health and travel, sharing tidbits of wisdom, advice, and surprising facts, while also inspiring people to take the path less traveled or to make a change in their lives to better support their health and overall wellbeing. When you're passionate about something, sharing that passion can easily inspire others to walk in your footsteps. Passion is what makes life worth living, and I believe sharing it with the world will make the world a better place.

My mission in life is to help others not take their health for granted. Many people tend to go about their lives without thinking about their health, but that tends to change the moment uncomfortable symptoms or a diagnosis comes to light. When it comes to chronic conditions, the best treatment is prevention. Prevention necessitates taking an active role in your health and wellness at all stages of life. This is something that I wish was instilled in me earlier on in my life. This Fall, I will be entering my first year as a Master's candidate in the University of Southern California's Nutrition, Healthspan and Longevity program. I strongly believe that proper nutrition across the full lifespan is fundamental for optimal health, wellbeing, and longevity. Another critical aspect of long-term health and wellness is mental health, so my background in psychology will allow me to better assist future clients to achieve their absolute best health. Psychology and nutrition go hand-in-hand. Understanding the fact that food and eating are deeply personal and being mindful of the psychology of eating is imperative for effective nutrition counseling. There are numerous possible barriers (e.g., lack of knowledge, physical limitations, medical concerns, socioeconomic status, and mental blocks) that can prevent people from eating to nourish their minds and bodies so they can live long, happy, productive, and healthy lives. Since people are living longer than ever before, it is now more crucial than ever to support our health throughout the lifespan so that we can all lead more independent and fruitful lives as we age. Ultimately, I envision becoming a private practice dietitian, as I’ve also always aspired to be my own boss, own my own business, and have the freedom to work from anywhere in the world. Working closely with multiple private practice dietitians in 2020 has solidified these desires, as I have now been exposed to the realities of operating a private practice and have gained a better understanding of all of the layers that comprise the whole. My psychology background will be a huge asset for me later on in my private practice because it will allow me to better navigate any cognitive roadblocks to behavioral changes regarding client eating patterns. I am also attracted to pursuing a career in corporate wellness, as a poor work-life balance for people in this country can be destructive to health outcomes and can directly impact job performance. Counteracting the adverse effects of chronic stress with future clients will be one of my primary goals. I aim to provide the community with the tools necessary to better handle stress, through both nutrition and lifestyle changes, which will also improve life and longevity. This degree will set the stage for how I practice nutrition, for both myself and clients, for the rest of my life. The goal is to lay the groundwork for a fulfilling life, especially in the later years, by focusing on health and nutrition to prevent chronic health conditions that take our control away from us. I am thrilled that I have the chance to take the reins and extend my innate empathy and passion for this subject into the care and support for the health, happiness, and longevity of others.

Travel reveals what life is truly about. From the small pleasures of eating cultural dishes or touring what feels like history frozen in time... to the big moments where you are forced out of your comfort zone and unsure you will ever feel the same again. All of these moments, both big and small, make me a better, fuller person. Travel photography is akin to capturing these moments and making them keepsakes, frozen memories. When asked about my passions, my answer is always: "travel, wellness, and photography." These three things are interrelated for me; I practice my art (photography) when I travel, enhancing my overall mental health and wellness. My camera is an extension of my creative eye. Photography has become a very important factor in my determination of who I am. When I'm not behind a camera, my eyes act like a camera lens; I just wish I could capture every single beautiful moment I see. To me, photographs come to life when the photographer empties a bit of his or her soul into the image and devotes explicit care to imprison a fleeting instant within the boundaries of a frame. In a split second, an ephemeral moment that would have been lost in the depths of history can be ensnared and consequently becomes never-ending. That is exactly how I feel when I take a meaningful photograph: infinite. A parcel of my heart lies gently, forever emblazoned on Kodak film or within the mechanics of a memory card. It is possible for one to say, since pieces of my heart exist in every photograph I take, that these images are my flesh and blood, my spawn. Without a doubt, I immediately attain a certain pride in the scenes I generate through the meticulous manipulation of lighting, shutter speed, aperture, focus, and perspective in the perfect and natural canvas that is life on planet earth. Each and every photo is unique and nothing short of magical. I can only have faith that as soon as another person's critical eyes gain sight of one of my prized creations they will also experience a slice of eternity. No two experiences are identical: each person chooses his or her private interpretation of the image and in turn, creates an inimitable source of inspiration. To inspire and instill passion within others will ceaselessly be one of my lifelong pursuits. Travel photography is my creative outlet; with every picture taken I learn something new. These daily lessons allow me to mature in sync with the development and expansion of my craft. Following in the metaphorical footsteps of the mystifying and perpetually expanding universe, through this medium, I will never stop growing; my world is boundless and I will truly become infinite, print by print.

You have got to be kitten me... how cute is this? Meet Rooney. Rooney's favorite pastime is staying cozy under the covers, cuddling with his mama. His other hobbies include: napping, playing fetch, watching the squirrels in the big tree outside, and knocking over full glasses of water. He keeps me company while I'm busy fulfilling my dreams. He is the best cat ever.