1. Personal Statement
I still remember the shirt my mother was wearing the day she was diagnosed with
diabetes: black and white striped with a soft-knit touch. She was only 34 and I was only 12, but
the effects of type 2 diabetes were not unbeknownst to me. In the midst of my mother’s diagnosis
she had been tending to our uncle that had been battling complications of the disease. Our uncle
John could not walk because he had both legs amputated; he could not grasp items properly
because he had neuropathy in his fingers, he could not see well because of the retinopathy that
had damaged his vision; he required dialysis to the work that his kidneys could not because of
the nephropathy. Naturally, I was terrified this could happen to my mother having been
diagnosed at such a young age. I didn’t understand that this was a preventable disease; I simply
thought it was genetics that controlled my family’s fate.
It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that I was enrolled in an introductory
nutrition course. For extra credit I attended a diabetes seminar that focused on patients and their
service dogs that detected changes in blood glucose levels. If you throw dogs in the mix, I am
hooked! I attended several more throughout the semester and found myself in the middle of a
quarter life crisis: I had been studying commercial photography my freshman year and it
suddenly seemed irrelevant and silly. I had not a want but a need to help people. Photography
was giving me nothing. I was more ravenous and eager than ever for enlightenment about
diabetes and nutrition and how I could do anything to help my mother and others with this
condition. It took me less than two weeks to declare my new major: Applied Nutrition. The spark
had been ignited and my passion for nutrition and utilizing the power of food as a preventative
medicine was in full swing.
My focus on community nutrition has led to my involvement in several prevention
programs here at Ohio University. I am currently a Meal Master Educator for Live Healthy
Appalachia in Athens, Ohio. As an educator I teach children enrolled in local elementary schools
the basics of cooking, nutrition, and knife safety. I work with special education students at
Beacon School in Athens (a part of the Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities)
teaching independent living skills using simple recipes and kitchen tools. I have worked for the
Healthy Ohio program offered through our wellness center and participated in medical
screenings that assessed Ohio University staff’s height, weight, waist girth, body fat percentage,

2. Personal Statement
and blood pressure. I have gardened with Community Food Initiatives to plant and harvest the
community gardens in the surrounding area to help those in need. My affinity for public health
has lead me to London and Costa Rica to discover history and present-day matters of the topic.
Being a student has educated me a great deal about myself. My time at Ohio University
has framed my problem solving skills that orchestrate my creative, applicable solutions to real
world problems. Unfortunately, life events sometimes conduce stress, in other words, my
shortcoming. Handling stress is a delicate balance that, with considerable practice, I have learned
to transcend. I have worked extensively to overcome my anxieties and negative emotional coping
responses with mindfulness techniques, mise-en-place, and perseverance. Stress has become less
often a hindrance and more often a provocation for my future achievements. I consistently strive
to broaden my horizons, build character, and pattern infinite peaks of personal growth.
My short-term goals include a graduate program with a focus on public health and health
behavior theory and intervention. This will help me to transition into a career in community
health as a community health educator in low income neighborhoods. It is time that I unscrew
the training wheels that I call Ohio University and ride off on my own into the future. I am fully
prepared for a reputable career in community outreach and engagement, public health
interventions and prevention, and nutrition.