Personal Statement

 “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” –Hippocrates (460-370 BC)

This familiar quote summarizes my motivation to enter the field of dietetics. There is truth in the benefits medicine provides to humanity, though I believe that truth in medicine is synonymous with truth in food. The truth in food will always be the foundation of my beliefs, both personally and professionally. Born into a family that loved food but misunderstood the value of it, I entered my adult life battling familial hypercholesterolemia. As a result of my own experiences, food has been both my savior and my enemy, leading me to seek a career where I can help others understand and utilize food as medicine for the prevention and management of disease. My career objective is to use the knowledge and skills I have gained from my education and life experiences to empower others to live healthier lives through proper nutrition.

My immediate interest centers on maternal and infant nutrition, because I believe that expectant and new moms are receptive to new information and are a population with which a strong nutrition foundation can be built. Influencing their eating habits and food philosophies has the potential to positively alter future generations’ relationships with food and nutrition.

As a graduate student of Nutrition and Dietetics at Bastyr University, I have maintained a high regard for academics, increased my volunteer hours in clinical, community and food service nutrition and sustained involvement within the Bastyr and dietetics communities. These experiences have helped prepare me for the challenging career of dietetics by providing a well-rounded volunteer experience in several different areas of nutrition. My work ethic and ability to work independently have allowed me to take on responsibilities as a nutritional therapy volunteer at Evergreen Hospital Medical Center. Teaching a weekly prenatal nutrition class to expectant mothers has enabled me to learn more about outpatient care and specific dietary needs during pregnancy. In this role, I strengthened my public speaking skills, developed rapport with the hospital dietitians and experienced my first set of hospital “rounds”. To increase my knowledge of food service nutrition, I also currently hold a dietary tray line position, where I interact with patients and distribute meals that match their dietary needs.

My clinical nutrition practicum at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health Teaching Clinic has given me the opportunity to provide nutrition counseling under the supervision of a registered dietitian. In this setting, I have been able to concentrate on improving my counseling skills, which were initially limited. Weekly counseling practice and constructive feedback from my supervisor have been invaluable towards my growth. In addition to improving my counseling skills, this unique experience has exposed me to many different health conditions, ultimately helping me become a better clinician. One particularly difficult patient experience allowed me to work with an individual suffering from many life-threatening diseases including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, end stage renal disease and a blood clotting disorder. This was a very complicated case that proved I was able to perform well under pressure, think critically, identify the key nutritional problem and write a proper SOAP note. Furthermore, working through this case demonstrated my ability to understand drug and nutrient interactions and develop a proper nutritional care plan that supported the patient’s current health status.

I have taken an active leadership role in several different areas of my life in which I have demonstrated my self-direction and my ability to work well with others. One particularly challenging role I undertook was that of nominating chair board member for the Washington State Food and Nutrition Counsel (WSFNC). In this role, I had to balance being a leader while collaborating with the other board members to effectively organize and plan our annual elections. Effective time management, creative planning and project execution were all skills that I improved as nominating chair. By using these skills, I was able to increase the response rate during elections, resulting in more members responding to the ballot this year than in the previous five years.

Following the completion of a dietetic internship, my immediate goal is to practice as an inpatient NICU and maternal dietitian, where I will be able to positively promote good nutrition through high quality food and approachable nutrition education. Then, I plan to continue to further explore my interests in maternal nutrition by obtaining my board certification as a lactation consultant. Eventually, I would like to obtain a challenging managerial role where I would have the opportunity to build a meaningful, life-long career in dietetics. I believe supporting allopathic medicinal principles and promoting food as complementary medicine will allow me greater flexibility and training to provide the best care possible for my future patients.

As I enter the next chapter of my life, I look ahead with great excitement and a strong commitment to continue the growth and development of my career in dietetics.