Aside from my family and faith, my two passions are nutrition and teaching in higher education. My first passion was ignited at age 14 when my father died. He had quadruple coronary bypass surgery when I was eight, and I can still remember my mom changing the nutrition habits in our home. She altered how we shopped and cooked to make everything healthier, leaving a lasting impression on me. All of her hard work helped him live another six years. The pain of losing him to heart disease made me realize that families don’t have to lose their loved ones to this horrible condition. This is the reason I became a registered dietitian. At the time, I dreamed of educating clients and families on nutrition's life-changing influence on their health. In my 29-year career, I have educated hundreds of inpatients and outpatients in clinics and home health. My other passion is teaching in higher education, which developed over time. While lobbying in Washington during a Public Policy event for our Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2000, I met a professor from Meredith College. He approached me after a meeting with legislators and told me he thought I’d make a great adjunct professor. After three years as an adjunct professor, I was hired as a dietetic internship director at Meredith College. Through this position, I discovered a love for educating students. I’ve expanded the program from an annual enrollment of nine students to an annual enrollment of forty-four. One of our difficulties is placing students in hospital-based field experiences. After brainstorming and formulating many ideas, I wrote a proposal asking our college to raise $100,000 for a Simulation Lab for our nutrition students. The funding would include purchasing a high-fidelity patient simulator for our students to practice their clinical skills, such as placing feeding tubes, conducting nutrition-focused physical exams, building interview skills, and assessing wounds. The Simulation Lab Proposal was a serious endeavor for our students, and I planned for its inception for two years. I received the funding for the Simulation Lab six months after petitioning for it. We installed our high-fidelity patient simulator ten months ago, and I taught my first class with it this fall! The feedback was incredibly positive, and the opportunities were endless. This high-fidelity patient simulator will change and enhance the way we instruct our nutrition students. Through my current enrollment in the Doctorate of Clinical Nutrition program at the University of Kansas, I am combining and catapulting my two passions. I will utilize the knowledge I acquire through my education to develop a clinical curriculum for our simulation lab. I will focus on expanding and enhancing clinical skills for the simulation lab. I will aim to produce in-depth and challenging scenarios with the aspect of “coming alive” inside the simulation lab. The timing for me to obtain my doctorate is perfect. My oldest child is a sophomore in college, so I have a bit more time to return to school. I've always wanted to earn my doctorate, so now is the time! Dietitians must now earn a graduate degree to take their credentialing exam. So, I entered the doctorate program last semester to be better prepared for my students as a leader, instructor with a terminal degree, and researcher. I am very sorry to hear about Debra. Designating this scholarship in her honor is an amazing way to honor her life. My deepest condolences go out to the family. Thank you for considering my application.

Aside from my family and faith, my two passions are nutrition and teaching in higher education. My first passion was ignited at age 14 when my father died. He had quadruple coronary bypass surgery when I was eight, and I can still remember my mom changing the nutrition habits in our home. She altered how we shopped and cooked to make everything healthier, leaving a lasting impression on me. All of her hard work helped him live another six years. The pain of losing him to heart disease made me realize that families don’t have to lose their loved ones to this horrible condition. This is the reason I became a registered dietitian. At the time, I dreamed of educating clients and families on nutrition's life-changing influence on their health. In my 28-year career, I have educated hundreds of inpatients and outpatients in clinics and home health. My other passion is teaching in higher education, which developed over time. While lobbying in Washington during a Public Policy event for our Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2000, I met a professor from Meredith College. He approached me after a meeting with legislators and told me he thought I’d make a great adjunct professor. After three years as an adjunct professor, I was hired as a dietetic internship director at Meredith College. Through this position, I discovered a love for educating students. I’ve expanded the program from an annual enrollment of nine students to an annual enrollment of forty-four. One of our difficulties is placing students in hospital-based field experiences. After brainstorming and formulating many ideas, I wrote a proposal asking our college to raise $100,000 for a Simulation Lab for our nutrition students. The funding would include purchasing a high-fidelity patient simulator for our students to practice their clinical skills, such as placing feeding tubes, conducting nutrition-focused physical exams, building interview skills, and assessing wounds. The Simulation Lab Proposal was a serious endeavor for our students, and I planned for its inception for two years. I received the funding for the Simulation Lab six months after petitioning for it. We installed our high-fidelity patient simulator 10 months ago, and I taught my first class with it this fall! The feedback was incredibly positive, and the opportunities were endless. This high-fidelity patient simulator will change and enhance the way we instruct our nutrition students. Through my current enrollment in the Doctorate of Clinical Nutrition program at the University of Kansas, I am combining and catapulting my two passions. I will utilize the knowledge I acquire through my education to develop a clinical curriculum for our simulation lab. I will focus on expanding and enhancing clinical skills for the simulation lab. I will aim to produce in-depth and challenging scenarios with the aspect of “coming alive” inside the simulation lab. Dietitians must now earn a graduate degree to take their credentialing exam. So, I entered the doctorate program last semester to be better prepared for my students as a leader, instructor with a terminal degree, and researcher. Thank you for considering my application.

Aside from my family and faith, my two passions are nutrition and teaching in higher education. My first passion was ignited at age 14 when my father died. He had quadruple coronary bypass surgery when I was eight, and I can still remember my mom changing the nutrition habits in our home. She altered how we shopped and cooked to make everything healthier, leaving a lasting impression on me. All of her hard work helped him live another six years. The pain of losing him to heart disease made me realize that families don’t have to lose their loved ones to this horrible condition. This is the reason I became a registered dietitian. At the time, I dreamed of educating clients and families on nutrition's life-changing influence on their health. In my 28-year career, I have educated hundreds of inpatients and outpatients in clinics and home health. My other passion is teaching in higher education, which developed over time. While lobbying in Washington during a Public Policy event for our Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2000, I met a professor from Meredith College. He approached me after a meeting with legislators and told me he thought I’d make a great adjunct professor. After three years as an adjunct professor, I was hired as a dietetic internship director at Meredith College. Through this position, I discovered a love for educating students. I’ve expanded the program from an annual enrollment of nine students to an annual enrollment of forty-four. One of our difficulties is placing students in hospital-based field experiences. After brainstorming and formulating many ideas, I wrote a proposal asking our college to raise $100,000 for a Simulation Lab for our nutrition students. The funding would include purchasing a high-fidelity patient simulator for our students to practice their clinical skills, such as placing feeding tubes, conducting nutrition-focused physical exams, building interview skills, and assessing wounds. The Simulation Lab Proposal was a serious endeavor for our students, and I planned for its inception for two years. I received the funding for the Simulation Lab six months after petitioning for it. We installed our high-fidelity patient simulator 10 months ago, and I taught my first class with it this fall! The feedback was incredibly positive, and the opportunities were endless. This high-fidelity patient simulator will change and enhance the way we instruct our nutrition students. Through my current enrollment in the Doctorate of Clinical Nutrition program at the University of Kansas, I am combining and catapulting my two passions. I will utilize the knowledge I acquire through my education to develop a clinical curriculum for our simulation lab. I will focus on expanding and enhancing clinical skills for the simulation lab. I will aim to produce in-depth and challenging scenarios with the aspect of “coming alive” inside the simulation lab. Dietitians will now have to earn a graduate degree to take their credentialing exam. So, I entered the doctorate program last semester immediately to be better prepared for my students as a leader, instructor with a terminal degree, and researcher. My essay may be a bit different than others because I am already a registered dietitian. If selected for this scholarship, I will educate future Dietitians on how to properly educate patients and clients on how to eat healthily and embrace a quality healthy, and nutritious lifestyle. I am very sorry to hear about Amber. Designating this scholarship in her honor is an amazing way to honor her life. My deepest condolences go out to the family. Thank you for considering my application.

Aside from my family and faith, my two passions are nutrition and teaching in higher education. My first passion was ignited at age 14 when my father died. He had quadruple coronary bypass surgery when I was eight, and I can still remember my mom changing the nutrition habits in our home. She altered how we shopped and cooked to make everything healthier, leaving a lasting impression on me. All of her hard work helped him live another six years. The pain of losing him to heart disease made me realize that families don’t have to lose their loved ones to this horrible condition. This is the reason I became a registered dietitian. At the time, my dream was to educate clients and families on nutrition's life-changing influence on their health. In my 28-year career, I have educated hundreds of inpatients and outpatients in clinics and home health. My other passion is teaching in higher education, which developed over time. While lobbying in Washington during a Public Policy event for our Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2000, I met a professor from Meredith College. He approached me after a meeting with legislators and told me he thought I’d make a great adjunct professor. After three years as an adjunct professor, I was hired as a dietetic internship director at Meredith College. Through this position, I discovered a love for educating students. I’ve expanded the program from an annual enrollment of nine students to an annual enrollment of forty-four. One of our difficulties is placing students in hospital-based field experiences. After brainstorming and formulating many ideas, I wrote a proposal asking our college to raise $100,000 for a Simulation Lab for our nutrition students. The funding would include purchasing a high-fidelity patient simulator for our students to practice their clinical skills, such as placing feeding tubes, conducting nutrition-focused physical exams, building interview skills, and assessing wounds. The Simulation Lab Proposal was a serious endeavor for our students, and I planned for its inception for two years. I engaged in simulation training and workshops while reading many research articles on simulation. I received the funding for the Simulation Lab six months after petitioning for it. We installed our high-fidelity patient simulator two months ago, and I taught my first class with it this spring! The feedback was incredibly positive, and the opportunities were endless. This high-fidelity patient simulator will change and enhance the way we instruct our nutrition students. Through the Doctorate of Clinical Nutrition program at the University of Kansas, I will combine and catapult my two passions. I will utilize the knowledge I acquire through my education, the clinical nutrition residency, and the applied research project to develop a clinical curriculum for our simulation lab. I will focus on expanding and enhancing clinical based-skills for the simulation lab. I plan to strengthen the clinical curriculum with comprehensive real-life scenarios and case studies using the skills I acquire from classes such as the DCN Clinical Nutrition Core Classes. I will aim to produce in-depth and challenging scenarios with the aspect of “coming alive” inside the simulation lab. Dietitians will have to earn a graduate degree to take their credentialing exam. So, I entered the doctorate program last semester immediately to be better prepared for my students as a leader, instructor with a terminal degree, and researcher. Thank you for considering my application. I am very sorry to hear about Christina. Designating this scholarship in her honor is an amazing way to honor her life. My deepest condolences go out to the family.

My two passions are nutrition and teaching in higher education; through a doctorate program from the University of Kansas, I will combine and catapult my two passions and develop a new curriculum for our state-of-the-art simulation lab.