Hi! I'm Shyla. I was born to an immigrant father from Panama and a mother from Cleveland, in Cleveland. I am 21 years old and pursuing my fifth year as an undergraduate to finish my minor during the 2021-2022 school year. I study nutrition and dietetics, with an ultimate career goal of becoming a clinical dietitian with a private practice, specializing in integrative renal and endocrine nutrition and eating disorders. I currently work in the Methods and Application of Food Composition data laboratory with the United States Department of Agriculture. Outside of my academic and professional activities, I grew up a dancer and now do choreography work, and I run a food and health Instagram where I share all things about wellness. I also love to travel and can't wait to do so safely again! As a girl, I played doctor with my mom and had more stethoscopes than dolls lying around my room. As I grew older, that morphed into an interest in wellness, largely because of my health complications. When I was born, I came out of my mothers' womb with a blue face. I had to remain hospitalized for 15 days before she could take me home to make sure that I was breathing well. From then onward, the battle didn't end and I was put on 3 medications and couldn't do regular activities like other kids because my asthma would be so easily triggered and I'd be hospitalized. I only started to do an activity seriously starting at 13, where asthma let up slightly, but I still found myself ending my inhaler after every practice. A couple of years later, I began to struggle with excruciating period cramps that sent me rushing to the hospital in cold sweats, vomiting, and ringing ears. It took three different gynecologists over years to properly diagnose it as endometriosis. At 16, I came across some books about plant-based living. I was amazed at what this lifestyle entailed and how different it was from my current way of eating. I consulted with my physician and spoke about my plans to follow a plant-based diet to see if it would help reduce any of the inflammation triggering the complications in my body. After one year, I saw such astonishing improvements. I was able to go through dance rehearsals without needing my inhaler nearly as much, I made it through the spring season (my worst time) without having to be hospitalized for the first time in my life, and my doctor took me off all my medications. My periods each month were also manageable and I didn't need to go to the hospital or leave school or work early because of the pain. I couldn't believe it, and the only thing that changed was my diet. This personal lifestyle change of mine has completely altered my life, even still. I learned the value of taking care of myself and how powerful using food as medicine can be. Evidently, food for many people cannot fully supplement pharmacological or medicinal intervention, but it can be a substantial aid to those battling chronic conditions and other diseases. Both of my parents made something of themselves from scratch and taught me to grab my passion and run with it without ever letting go until I make use of it and help others along the way. I never lose sight of where I was just a few years ago, and how much I have been able to change my life. Now my education has sharpened my knowledge and passion, preparing me to help others regenerate themselves as well!

Growing up, I suffered from severe asthma that prevented me from being able to do activities that I loved because I was in and out of the hospital and triggered by seemingly anything. I always loved the concept of wellness, but what I wanted to do with it wasn't narrowed down. Through high school, students were able to choose "magnets", which were essentially majors. I studied environmental science and was introduced to courses like ecology, zoology, and microbiology. During my junior year, I became plant-based and a year later was permitted by my doctor to be taken off of all of the medications that I had been taking since I was a toddler. I was amazed! I started to reach out to local groups that promoted regenerative nutrition, and I joined food banks to help provide food for people in low-income areas and assist in education courses. I grew this electric passion for integrative nutritional science. Food makes up so much of who we are. It not only powers our bodies but is a crucial component that brings communities together. I realized I wanted to help people reach their fullest potential through an improved personal relationship with food and also assist with community efforts to provide fair access to natural foods and nutrition and environmental education. I struggled daily with my health before I discovered a more natural way of eating that not only improved my own health concerns but is much kinder to the planet and our land's resources. Now well into college and looking back on my higher education career, I realize just how much I've been inspired to push forward in knowledge. I’ve been moved by my courses in subjects like community nutrition and medical nutrition therapy. Gaining a wide perspective of just how much we depend on food and how common it is for it to be unattainable for people is astonishing. During my sophomore year of college, I was fortunate enough to be accepted to embark on a childhood nutrition service trip over spring break in Huntington, West Virginia. I and a small group of other health science majors lept into a climate battling an opioid epidemic, environmental racism, and families going hungry due to the inability to afford healthful foods. I assisted in church-run food banks, spoke to people leading nutrition initiatives in the neighborhood, packed groceries, played with children at the local Boys and Girls Club, and worked on a local sustainable farm. Before this trip, I’d only learned about what being in those communities was like in a classroom. Being able to shake people’s hands and see the sparkle in their eyes because they’re thankful that you helped them eat, being there while the church leaders prayed before opening doors to low-income people and families that came for groceries and the children’s smiles were all memorable experiences. It was after this, that my hazy vision of what I wanted to deliver in this world was clear. This experience was the most influential one of my college career and the catalyst for how much more I wanted to soak information like a sponge. Being a black woman and a future registered dietitian are titles I don't carry lightly, and looking back on where I come from and what I have gone through personally and health-wise to get to this position means I can't stop now. Being a voice and an active contributor to those in my community and outside is such an important ideal for me.

I am so excited to receive my degree in nutrition and food science/dietetics! This has been something that I've been looking forward to since I was 16 years old, and I found a deep passion for health and wellness after seeing how it directly impacted my life. My entire life, I was in and out of the hospital struggling with asthma that seemed to be induced by anything. I was on medication from as early as I could remember, and constantly had to be careful when I went to recess as a kid, decided to go for a run, or at dance practices. Seemingly anything could trigger an attack, and it was scary not to know why, especially since my medicines weren't helping much. I stumbled across some books at the library when I was a teenager about plant-based health and was amazed that people could live that way. Everything I knew about "needing" meat or dairy seemed to not be the case for everyone. I spoke to my doctor, did some more research, and started to weed out certain foods until I was completely plant-based. I felt the best I had ever felt before. I had more energy, my skin cleared, I lost weight, and most importantly, I could breathe way better than I previously remembered during the spring allergy season and physical activity the first year. When I visited my doctor for another wellness check, I told her that I haven't felt such a need for my daily medications or inhaler and so she took me off all 3 of my medications. I couldn't believe it. I remember my mom feeding me these same medications when I was a child, and now I was being taken off. In a year's time, the only change was my diet. I have this experience and wonder how many more people I can help to feel their best self, and that is why I put my passion into motion with my degree. Being able to study and refine my knowledge and experience in college is a spectacular experience. I am gaining insight on diets and ways of life that I do not follow but can appreciate and carry into my practice when I speak with patients on how to use food as a powerful functional tool in ways that work for them. I have tried to soak knowledge up like a sponge the last few years, and allow myself to accept as much knowledge as I can to make me more versatile and skilled. I engage in community nutrition work with a local food bank, research through my job with the United States Department of Agriculture, and the science through my coursework. In the field, I would like to become a clinically-focused dietitian to start my career and work with patients in a hospital who are suffering from chronic disease. I also have a special interest in renal and endocrine nutrition and hope to help people find a diet that supports what they need, and their current regimen that may include certain medications. After a few years in clinical nutrition, I do hope to have a private practice that specializes in more niche areas to further expand on renal and endocrine health, as well as eating disorders, allergies, and asthma. I see myself in people who suffer daily from issues out of their control, and it is my purpose to be a helping hand to as many people as I can through my career field.

I'm Shyla! I was born in Cleveland, OH, and have grown up in Baltimore, MD. I'm 21 years old and finishing up my 4th year in college before I begin my 5th and final year. I have always held a passion for health and fitness growing up, but didn't have any narrowed avenue until right around my junior year of high school. I did competitive dance all through middle and high school and became vegan at 16 after discovering some books in the library on plant-based health. From the moment I was born, I struggled heavily with asthma and allergies and being constantly in and out of the hospital. All of this changed once I changed my diet. After one year of being plant-based, I was permitted by my physician to be taken off all my medications. These are the same ones I had taken since I was a little girl. I gained energy, was able to carry on through the spring season much easier than before, and didn't rely on my inhaler or medications as much. I was living a life I never thought I would've been able to. When I was born, I came out blue, so who could've guessed? My aimless desire to find a way to help others and share my passion for health turned into a concrete plan. I now attend the University of Maryland, College Park for Dietetics. This journey has been no easy feat, but I have been able to polish my passion with knowledge and versatility to become a well-rounded clinical dietitian someday soon. Taking difficult biology and chemistry classes has at times made me question if I was cut out to be in this field, and I've shed plenty of tears because of it. However, I've found how important it is to remember why I started, and I try to return to that whenever I have doubts. This is exactly where I am supposed to be, and I remind myself that I am in charge of the direction I take. Over the years, I have continued to keep the passion by becoming involved with my community and getting as much field experience as I can. I have for years now volunteered with the Capital Area Food Bank to help package and distribute foods in low-income neighborhoods, and in March 2019 went on a childhood nutrition service trip to expand on this work. I traveled to Huntington, WV, which actually has had a Netflix documentary made about the town regarding its opioid epidemic. I was able to meet with the frontline workers who help the city fight it every day, as well as schools and church organizational leaders that help to combat hunger. Getting out there and seeing people struggle before your eyes is such an eye-opener, and it drives me to continuously want to give back and remember why I am so grateful to be able to get the education that I am. With my degree, I can ultimately create such a bigger change in the lives of those who need it, through nutrition and wellness education and promoting accessibility. As a current worker for the United States Department of Agriculture, seeing the negative health impacts on everyone, especially low-income communities, as a result of many things (be it socioeconomic status, education, or just personal choice), is just as astonishing from a logistical standpoint. I use my knowledge in this position and join it with knowledge gathered from my relevant coursework to become an excellent dietitian and the first health professional in my family! Throughout this journey, I have realized that it is okay not to always have it together. I started off with a general interest when I was younger, and stumbled upon a path to make it turn into a reality. I was able to inspire myself by my own experiences, and even though the path may seem cloudy and difficult at times, I am able to center myself and keep putting myself out there to soak knowledge like a sponge. Not everyone is fortunate enough to know what they would like to do before college, or even during, and I will constantly hold onto what it feels like to know that I do.

During summer 2019, I was taking an accelerated organic chemistry 2 class. I was working at the same time and had just experienced a family death the first week that I began it. This course was nonstop. The class was Monday through Friday, 5 days a week, for four hours. Immediately after class, I went to work and studied. I came home, studied, and did homework until 11 pm each night. As a result of the family's death, during that first week, I ended up having to suddenly pack up and travel to Panama to be there for the funeral. Right after this and for the remainder of the class, I went through a breakup with my high school boyfriend. All to ultimately fail this class by 2 percentages, setting me back from graduating on time. I mention all of this by means of transparency as it was the summer that I completely tore down my ego to become who I am today. I am a girl who values her education and grades but also sought my own value in it. I was used to getting good grades before this and began to attach my self-worth to getting them. I fell into a depressive state from failing this class and not knowing how to cope. I had detached my emotions from my family after feeling so many different things regarding the death of my aunt, and also my breakup. I thought that if I allowed myself to keep feeling all of these seeming feelings of failure, I would explode and not know how to handle anything. I realized this wasn't right, though. To move forward I had to allow myself to feel exactly what I needed to because that was how I was going to grow. I had to realize that I could be distraught that I failed the class, but that I tried my absolute best the entire summer. I had to realize that I could allow myself to cry over my aunt and ex-boyfriend and that I was not weak because of it. These experiences during probably the worst summer of my life forced me to find my value in ways that aren't defined for me; rather, by me. I tapped into my potential and realizing all the greatness that I have accomplished and will continue to, and how strong I am for confronting difficult emotions and situations. The world values people who are real with themselves, and I know when I see someone being vulnerable, it is one of the most inspiring things. In the future, as a registered dietitian, I hope to be as transparent and gentle with my patients and clients, while also pushing them to be more. I've realized that as I work toward my career, I will face hardships that make me feel stuck, but it isn't circumstances that keep me there, it is myself.

During summer 2019, I was taking an accelerated organic chemistry 2 course at an outside institution. I was working at the same time and had just experienced a family death the first week that I began it. This course was nonstop. The class was Monday through Friday, 5 days a week, for four hours. Immediately after class, I went to work and studied. I came home, studied, and did homework until 11 pm each night. As a result of the family's death, during that first week, I ended up having to suddenly pack up and travel to Panama to be there for the funeral. Right after this and for the remainder of the class, I went through a breakup with my high school boyfriend. All to ultimately fail this class by 2 percentages, setting me back from graduating on time. I mention all of this by means of transparency as it was the summer that I completely tore down my ego to become who I am today. I am a girl who values her education and grades but also sought my own value in it. I was used to getting good grades before this and began to attach my self-worth to getting them. I fell into a depressive state from failing this class and not knowing how to cope. I had detached my emotions from my family after feeling so many different things regarding the death of my aunt, and also my breakup. I thought that if I allowed myself to keep feeling all of these seeming feelings of failure, I would explode and not know how to handle anything. I realized this wasn't right, though. To move forward I had to allow myself to feel exactly what I needed to because that was how I was going to grow. I had to realize that I could be distraught that I failed the class, but that I tried my absolute best the entire summer. I had to realize that I could allow myself to cry over my aunt and ex-boyfriend and that I was not weak because of it. These experiences during probably the worst summer of my life forced me to find my value in ways that aren't defined for me; rather, by me. I tapped into my potential and realizing all the greatness that I have accomplished and will continue to, and how strong I am for confronting difficult emotions and situations. The world values people who are real with themselves, and I know when I see someone being vulnerable, it is one of the most inspiring things. Being a black Latinx, I have faced a lot of pressure from family on "if" I will make it n my career and from society questioning my capabilities as a woman and even credibility as a Latinx within my own community, because I am racially black. Besides my own fears that I place on myself and my success, this is a hard weight to carry as well. Since then, though, I have immersed myself in my work and in my community more than ever before. Being giving, caring, and honest creates a light that shines and is able to inspire all I come across, and summer 2019 was the start of that.

As a newborn, I came out of my mother's womb blue and had to remain in the hospital for 15 days. As a toddler, I was rushed to the hospital several times because I couldn't breathe and my asthma was triggered. As a teenager, I had to miss a few days of school, work, and dance every month due to my excruciatingly painful menstrual cycle caused by endometriosis. I have had my fair share of health concerns, and as I have grown, I realize just how much harder it is to get a proper diagnosis, treatment, and just overall guidance as a woman (especially black woman). At 15, I was still struggling with my allergy-induced asthma every spring and taking the same pills I did when I was younger to no avail and also was at the peak of my painful periods. One day, I came across books and websites about plant-based living. At the time, I was floating from gynecologist to gynecologist seeking answers about what is causing my pain, but I would just get birth control thrown at me. After doing more research and talking with my physician, I slowly began to transition to this lifestyle, and still live it now at 21! Only after a year, I went for my wellness check with my physician and told her that I was doing oddly better that year, she permitted me to stop my asthma and allergy medications. I didn't have to take medication for the first time since I was 2 years old. I couldn't believe it! Two years later, I officially met a black gynecologist who was able to diagnose me with endometriosis and said that my dietary choices will help me, in the long run, to reduce the inflammation from this. I now can function on my periods. With the help of medical professionals and choosing to take on a plant-based lifestyle, I was able to completely change my life. Food is medicine, and I've never valued it more. People know that eating your vegetables is important, but how important? We can use food to completely alter the quality of our lives, in ways we never could've expected. I went my whole life up until those points, scared to go outside or afraid to fall behind in school because I had to leave early out of pain. I realize how precious it is to be able to get back to those things, and it sparked my passion for wanting to study dietetics and enter the field of clinical nutrition. I am reaching close to the end of my studies, and have been through plenty of the required STEM courses. My passions have only grown after being immersed in my field so much in my studies alone. It has prepared me for my future by taking my passion before college and turning it into something refined, educated, and versatile. I've expanded my mindset and the way I want to practice, as well as what sector of dietetics I want to be in. I've realized giving back to my community is important, and that I want a lot of my work to be tailored to the African American community. There is so much work to be done, and education and accessibility from someone who relates to you can open so many doors. With my gynecologist, it sure has changed my outlook and opened doors for me and my future. It is not always easy being a STEM major (especially online), but I am fully confident that my life experiences have started my drive, and my education has kept me driven to guide others to be their best selves through food.

I've asked this question to my peers and friends a lot, where I often receive a response of "my mom." As often as I've heard this, if I had to answer this question myself, I would respond just the same. As far as I can remember, it has always been her and I. My father wasn't the most supportive growing up, and it was always her who tried/tries to create the best moments for me. She tells me even today, as a 21-year-old woman, that she continues to pour so much into my emotions because she knew that my father wasn't emotionally present. She wanted to love me extra in case I grew up feeling like my dad didn't fully show that to me. I remember being 4 years old and eating chicken tenders in the back of her graduate school class, and coming home while she made dinner and flipped through books at the same time. She was the first person to go to college in her family, and now she has two degrees, a minor, and has paved an amazing path for herself in the field of education. She is so incredibly inspiring and her work ethic displays in me every day. She has taught me to not let any idea go to waste and to build on anything without fear of failure. She has instilled confidence in me, and now I am going to be graduating next year with a Bachelor's of Science in Dietetics and being the first health professional in our entire family. I've tirelessly worked through some of the toughest moments in my college career because I remember inspiring books she put in my hand starting at the age of 8, or how she took me to college open house events in middle school to gain exposure and to imagine early on. I plan to take the ideas of trusting my gut, always working hard, and communicating my thoughts confidently and clearly, especially as I go into the medical field as a black female. My mother picks me up when I just want to curl in a ball, and lifts me up when I thought I couldn't go any higher. Due to the pandemic, I've lived home again and have been reminded every day as to why I am the way I am. As I grow, I see myself when I look at her, and she tells me the same thing. I couldn't be prouder to carry on the wonderful qualities she poured into me with everything she had growing up.

My name is Shyla Davis-Cadogan! I am a current BS in Dietetics candidate student at the University of Maryland, College Park. Outside of general academics, I volunteer with the Capital Area Food bank for community nutrition involvement, do independent physiology study research with the Interim Chair of Department of Biology with UMD, and work at the United States Department of Agriculture in student research (currently digitally from home since March) as my main current obligations. I also like to read, meditate, travel (whenever that is safe), and I do dance choreography and commercial modeling. Currently, from a financial perspective, I have always only depended on my mother. My father is in my life, but he does not support any of my regular activities or academic endeavors, and if I ask, I am certainly declined. I currently use a considerable amount of loans to cover current tuition costs. I have chosen to live home this entire academic year to lessen this financial burden, and not have to worry about rent. This scholarship would really allow me to take the stress off of myself, and my mother, so that we can be assured I am getting a quality education without worrying about stressing my father out and causing family conflicts by having to ask for assistance from him, just to be denied. Upon graduating, I hope to attend a dietetic internship and sit for the Registered Dietitian Exam, to then become certified and gain the title of "RDN". I will become the first person in my family to attend college for health sciences, and become a licensed professional in the field. I have an special interest in clinical nutrition work, specifically endocrine and renal system-oriented, so I would like to spend a large amount of my career in this setting. Additionally, as I come from a past where I suffered from eating disorders and being a dancer, I want to work with professional ballet companies and their dancers to provide a solid and healthy relationship with food and wellness. Also, being African American in a health profession by default means I have to give back and inspire my community, this is a given in my mind. I want to continue to provide support and nutrition education resources to local low-income communities and schools. I have had such strong passions for health and wellness since I was 16. I have had countless family members lose their lives to preventable chronic illness, and so I have made it my life's goal to inspire people to use food as functional medicine to enhance their lives!

Nothing is certain except for what we value. This can be morally good values, or not. This year I've learned what those closest to me stand for and support in their own personal lives, as well as how their stances affect the people around them. I learned so much about myself, especially. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt I was just getting back on my feet after enduring a family death and a strenuous organic chemistry II summer course that pushed me beyond my limits (I didn't pass it by 2.6%). When everything began, like many of us, I felt that everything I had was ripped from under me and that for some reason, all of the progress I made with putting more energy into myself, the things and people I care about, and my academics, went away too. I moved home and went through a breakup at the same time, and everything felt dark. Getting out of bed, eating more than once per day, and opening my laptop every day for class felt like such heavy tasks that took everything in me to accomplish. I felt alone, as many of us did, without much support. I also felt I reached out to a lot of my friends and family to make sure they felt they had support from me during times like this, but seemed to hardly receive it back. Could I have expected that, though? Everyone's lives had been turned upside down on a dime. Regardless, I wanted those I cared for to know that they had me, and that is something I truly value. As days, weeks, and months went by, I began to slowly dig myself out of what felt like quicksand. I spent the summer finding a therapist, picked up journaling, and just began pouring into myself. If there's one thing I realized during this pandemic, it is that we only have each other to lean on whether we are near or far and that caring for others and their wellbeing has been and always will be a needed priority. However, how can we do that if we don't align our minds with our actions? I was fortunate enough to have a home to return to, a research job that could simply be switched to telework, and money for groceries and supplies throughout this entire experience. As a result, I afforded the ability to focus on my mental and physical well-being. Not everyone can during all of this due to everything that's been uprooted for them. Imagine if everyone did, though. Once people become kinder to themselves, they can be the same toward everyone around them. It's challenging to block out the noise of the mental tapes we play in our heads of everything that could go wrong in our lives, especially when it feels that quite literally everything is going wrong at every turn. Consequently, I think this is something we've as a society suffered from prior to the pandemic, and well after. Though hopefully, since I've found this desire to be the best I can for myself, and thus to those around me, it can only mean that so many others have had similar experiences too. I don't believe that many people can say they haven't learned anything about themselves or their mark in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, so I hope we can all begin to use our newfound ethics, morals, and principles, for the betterment of the world, as I am striving to do exactly this.