Teaching a “My Best Self” cooking class to Girl Scout Troop 2971
Community Rotation: YMCA
The first rotation of my internship was at the Stephen’s Family YMCA with my preceptor Melissa Smith. Melissa has been an amazing resource and mentor to me since I was in high school. During this rotation, I created several nutrition education handouts, taught a group cooking class, conducted an extensive community needs assessment, and counseled YMCA members to help them meet their personal nutrition goals.
Some of the nutrition handouts I made included “Seasonal Produce and Recipe” which explained what fruits and vegetables were in season during the fall alongside a delicious recipe for a creamy sausage pasta with squash and spinach. My personal favorite was “Muddy Buddy Energy Bites”, a recipe handout that explained the importance of fueling before and after a workout with some tips on how to do so. These handouts were displayed across the gym for members to take as they pleased. I also had the opportunity to teach a cooking class to a local girl scout troop. To prepare for the cooking class I designed a recipe book for the girl scouts, bought the necessary ingredients and utensils, and prepped the classroom/kitchen for the class. For my nutrition counseling sessions, my preceptor consulted with me before and after each session. We discussed things I did well and ways to improve. This experience helped me develop my active listening skills as well as incorporating behavioral theories (such as The Transtheoretical Model and the Health Belief Model) to help facilitate behavior change.
Food Service Rotation: Unit 4 Schools
I completed my food service rotation with the Champaign Unit 4 School District and Laura Dees was my preceptor. I learned so much about food service and management from Laura, including but not limited to, ordering/purchasing food and supplies, properly receiving food and supplies, the inventory process, making production sheets, and observing job interviews. There were also a number of times throughout my rotation that I filled in for employees at the schools for breakfast and lunch service.
The Unit 4 School District is a part of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and National School Breakfast Program (NSBP). The strict regulations and requirements of the NSLP and NSBP can make it make it confusing for students to follow, especially at the elementary level. In efforts to make breakfast and lunch lines flow smoothly, I conducted a research study to see if teaching a quick and engaging lesson on the NSLP and NSBP rules would help students get through the food line more efficiently. In addition to conducting research, I also lead an employee in-service which gave a refresher on food safety in the kitchens, developed and forecasted a lunch menu for one of the district’s elementary schools, performed comprehensive tray assessments, and lastly developed a Thanksgiving themed meal for all of the schools in the district during the month of November.
Filling in for an employee call off at Central High School
A board I made to promote the NSBP at International Prep Academy
B&E Rotation: Melissa Smith Nutrition and Wellness
My internship experience was very unique in the fact that I was able to have the same preceptor for two different rotations! Melissa Smith, my preceptor, changed jobs and started her own private practice while I was in the process of completing my internship. Because of this, she was able to be my community preceptor and my business and entrepreneurship preceptor. Melissa taught me invaluable information during this rotation that will take with me throughout my entire career. How to register an LLC, bill insurance, operate telehealth, creating a social media presence, and develop my client counseling skills are just a handful what I took away from this rotation. Below are some of the social media posts I created for her Instagram account.
Clinical Rotation: OSF St. Joseph and Christie Clinic
In order to gain as much experience as possible, I split my clinical rotation between two locations; Christie Clinic for outpatient experience and OSF St. Joseph Hospital for inpatient experience. At Christie Clinic, my preceptor worked in the endocrinology department and primarily saw diabetes patients. I left this rotation with an extensive knowledge on the pancreas, several hormones (insulin, glucagon, ghrelin, etc.), diabetes medications, carb counting/ exchanges, and normal ranges for diabetes labs (HbA1C, fasting BG, OGTT.)
At OSF St. Joseph Hospital, I had three preceptors that I reported to and was able to spend time shadowing each of them and eventually took patients off their work load for myself. My preceptors mainly split up their patients by floor which were the intensive care unit, step down unit, and cardiac care unit. This exposed me to a wide variety of patients and nutrition interventions. The assignments I completed at OSF St. Joseph included Nutrition-Focused Physical Examination and a case study written report and oral presentation on a patient with diabetic ketoacidosis that I followed throughout my rotation. At the end of this rotation, I was able to successfully see and chart on about eight patients/day on my own, which was very rewarding.
Smiling with two of my preceptors and the diet technician on a walk during our lunch break
Presenting my case study to my preceptors as well as a few other members of the patients interdisciplinary team
Undergraduate Research: Dr. Wolf’s Lab
During college, I worked as a lab assistant under Dr. Patricia Wolf. Her lab investigated the connection between a Westernized diet and increased risk of cancer. In her lab, I was responsible for preparing for experiments by weighing samples, preparing solutions, and gathering all materials needed for the experiment. Then, I was able to perform the various experiments with Dr. Wolf and further prove the hypothesis from the data we collected. After preforming a bile salt hydrolase assay I then wrote a detailed essay. It explores the topic of the human gut microbiome and how the diet can affect it.
Using a pipette controller to make PBS solution
Smiling next to a catering order of 14 dozen cookies that I wrapped and packaged
Teacher’s Assistant: FSHN 340
I was also a Teaching Assistant in college for the university’s food production and service class which teaches the ins and outs of food service in a hands-on way through running the on-campus restaurant, Bevier Cafe. For the class, I aided eight to ten students in their various tasks, greeted and helped between 50 to100 customers daily, and ensure all food safety policies are followed so that the café runs smoothly.
Volunteer: Food Assistance and Wellbeing Program
I have had the pleasure of being a volunteer at The Food Assistance and Wellbeing Program (FAWBP) which is a food pantry for the Illinois campus community located in the Activities and Recreation Center. Here, I assisted patrons, took inventory, and curated social media posts to promote the organization. The other volunteers and I carried out these tasks for the FAWBP in order to reduce food insecurity across the campus community.
Getting interviewed by the Daily Illini to explain what the FAWP is all about
Volunteer: Illini Fuel
Fueling Illini is a program within the athletic department of UIUC that provides meals and snacks for the university's athletes. Here, I stocked practice facilities, took inventory of food products in the store room and maintained accurate records, handed out meals and snacks to athletes, made smoothies and protein bites for athletes to consume post practice, and provided nutrition education to athletes.
Passing out protein smoothies I made to the Women's Soccer Team
In order to support myself financially, I worked as a nanny during high school, college, and my dietetic internship. I grew very close to the the Sehy family and they quickly became a second family to me. Working as a nanny sparked my interest in pediatric nutrition. Being a nanny allowed me to better understand children’s dietary needs, how to instilling healthy habits, and combat picky eating. I enjoyed preparing meals and snacks for the kids that I was sure would fuel their various activities. The children even enjoyed helping me in the kitchen on occasion, something I always encouraged! I also had the opportunity to educate the parents on different nutrition topics. Zach and Ally were always receptive in the dietetics knowledge I was able to share with them. I listened to the goals and concerns they had for their children and together we built a healthy and trusting relationship. However, I wasn’t the only one teaching and giving education. I learned so much about parenting and working with kids. I’ve always loved kids but this experience has made me more passionate about working with kids than ever before.
