- Where are you from?
I am from Chickamauga, GA. It is a rather small town in Northwest Georgia about 30 minutes from Chattanooga, Tennessee. - What do you like to do outside of school? What are you passionate about in life? - tell us about yourself!
In my free time I love to cook, bake, garden, and spend time with my cats! I am passionate about showing others how cooking healthy meals is not as hard as it sounds, as well as showing people you don’t have to be on a “diet” to be healthy! - Why did you choose to study nutrition? Was there a specific person, experience, or event that sparked your interest?
Growing up, I was surrounded by family members who had enormous gardens. My grandmother grows the most beautiful produce and preserves it for use throughout the whole year, and I grew up having the best fresh okra, tomatoes, and squash in my own back yard. Of course, growing up surrounded by fresh produce showed the importance of a healthy balanced diet. Also, being from the south and surrounded by southern cooking, I knew that what we traditionally ate was not always the healthiest. I would love finding new ways to make the new recipes my mom and I found healthier by tweaking them a bit, and that is when I realized I LOVED learning about nutrition.
Another driving force in my nutrition journey was social media. There is so much misinformation about what is “healthy” for us to do and consume, and I wanted to learn the true facts. I took a very basic nutrition class as an elective in high school were I quickly realized a lot of information online is very inaccurate. I want to use my knowledge to help those around me realize the same, and you do not need to stop eating the foods you loved to be a healthy person. - What made you choose the B.S. in Nutrition program at GSU?
When I was looking for a college to go to, I wanted to go to a city much different from the one I grew up in. I loved my small town, but it did not offer me a lot of academic opportunities or cultural diversity that I felt would help me thrive in my personal development or to achieve my goals. When I found GSU in the middle of downtown Atlanta, I knew it would be the perfect change of pace for me. The Nutrition Program seemed very esteemed as well, which furthered my desire to pursue this degree at this institution. - What is your favorite thing about GSU’s nutrition program?
My favorite part about nutrition program is the quality of education that it has provided me so far. The professors here are extremely knowledgeable, and I feel I have learned so much about nutrition already. The coursework is fascinating, and I love how it is an ever growing and evolving field of study.
I also love the sense of community it brings to everyone in this program. I have met so many interesting people and have made so many great friends through this program. - Are you involved in any nutrition-related experiences (research, other projects), or volunteering, outreach, or student organizations? If so, please tell us a bit about them.
I have worked with assistant professor at GSU and RD Jessica Todd at her meal prep company Perfectly Portioned Nutrition for a little over a year now. It is a nutrition focused meal prep company where we provide great tasting and nutrient dense meals across Atlanta. My main role is customer relations, but I love going in and working in the kitchen each Saturday portioning out meals for our clients!
I am going on my third year of being an officer for Nutrition Student Network (NSN). It is our student run organization for nutrition students or nutrition lovers where our mission is to spread nutrition awareness all across the GSU campus. I was the Garden Manager for two years, and I am now the President.
Along with NSN, I love participating in the nutrition related volunteer opportunities such as Panthers Pantry (our on campus pantry to help feed students, faculty, and staff at GSU), the rooftop garden on GSU’s Center Parc Stadium, and food banks like the Atlanta Community Food Bank. - Where do you see yourself after graduating with your B.S. in Nutrition? Are you planning to go to graduate school? What type of career would you like to have?
I plan to go into GSU’s Nutrition Coordinated Program where I would eventually become a Registered Dietitian. I would love to do a community focused career helping spread awareness of nutrition and health to communities around Georgia. I would also love to work in a clinical setting helping those with eating disorders repair their relationship with food. - If you could give advice to someone considering studying nutrition, what would you tell them?
If you are considering studying nutrition, go for it! You will meet so many amazing people and learn so many fascinating things. Careers in nutrition are also very abundant, you can do almost anything with this degree! You will want to use your resources and those around you for help discovering your niche, but it is a very rewarding field of study that is so vital to society.