I have always appreciated learning about nutrition, beginning when I started playing sports in first grade. The older I became, the more I learned about the benefits of certain foods and how food related to how I was playing at the time. I played everything from soccer and football to track and field, baseball, and wrestling, and nutrition was always an important factor. I learned the importance of cutting weight, gaining weight, and hydrating properly, all of which furthered my interest in the field of nutrition. The more I learned, the better I performed in sports, and I noticed improvements in my day-to-day life. It wasn’t long before I knew I wanted to go to college for nutrition, and learn everything there is to know about it.

I am not what most people would consider to be a traditional student. In addition to my major in Nutrition and Food Science, I am a student-veteran of the United States Marine Corps. I am concentrating in Dietetics and Nutrition Management with a minor in Chemistry. When choosing my academic path, there were a lot of different majors and concentrations that had me initially overwhelmed, but I had an amazing advising staff helping me. I was guided by my advisor to explore my interest in sports and nutrition, and ended up combining my interests to focus on the dietetic (diet and its affect on health) route.

As I explored a career as a Registered Dietician Nutritionist (RDN), I learned about clinical dietetics, sports dietetics, pediatric dietetics and so much more. I felt so passionate about this field that it all seemed to spark my interest at once. Lucky for me, this program is designed to teach you how to be successful in achieving any of these careers. You can even take special courses that will tailor your interests even further, such as sports nutrition.

In addition to my degree path, I am an ambassador in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at CSU, and I also work at a company outside of school as a nutrition analyst. The more I learn in school, the more I can apply at work, and vice versa. This is especially important for the ever-growing issue of spreading false information to the public. I have found a special interest in debunking nutrition claims made on social media lately, as well. The professors here are great resources for bringing these topics to. They enjoy answering any questions students may have, and they are all so passionate about nutrition themselves. When the coursework gets difficult, I know I can always seek out information anywhere in the department and get help.

In a nutshell, I am glad that I chose to come to CSU and major in Nutrition and Food Science. I have already learned so much, but I am excited to learn more and continue my journey towards becoming a registered dietician.