Virginia Woolf's quote about dining well reflecting one's ability to think, love, and sleep well resonated with the author and their passion for dietetics. After an unhealthy relationship with food in college led to weight gain and health issues, the author was inspired by a registered dietitian's blog and lost weight. Volunteering as a nutritional counselor and working in food service gave the author experience they will use as a registered dietitian. Their goal is to complete a dietetic internship, become licensed, and potentially start their own business helping athletes through nutrition.

1. Personal Statement
“One cannot thinkwell,lovewell,sleepwell,if one hasnotdinedwell”~VirginiaWoolf
Thisquote reflectsmymotive behindmypassiontoenterthe fieldof dietetics. Manypeople maynot
realize this,butfooddoesalotmore than sustainour bodiesforlife. Foodhasa major impacton not
onlyour physical health,butouremotionalandsocial health. Forparts of mylife,Ihave had an
unhealthyrelationshipwithfood whichhasnegativelyimpactedotheraspectsof mywell-being. Iwasa
veryactive individual whoparticipatedinmarchingbandandtrack duringmyfree time. Thisgave me a
“pass” to eatwhateverIdesiredwithouteffectingmyweightand/orhealth. Once Ireachedcollege,I
continuedthe same patternsof eating,butdidnotcontinue myactive lifestyle.Once Ireachedmy
sophomore yearof college,Igainedmore than40 pounds and wassufferingwithseverdigestiveissues.
I was veryunhappywithhowIfeltandhow mybodylooked. Since Ifeltsickall the time,I didnot show
up to classesandwasdisengagedwithmyfriends.Weekbyweek,myschool worksuffered,my
relationshipssuffered whichleadtomydepression. Tomake a change inmy life,Idecidedtotryand
motivate myselfthroughthe internet. InJanuaryof 2015, I came across a blogcreatedby a ladywho
sharedherweightlossexperience. Herstoryemphasizedthatshe hadlostover50 pounds,andthat she
was currentlytrainingforahalf marathon.Later in the blog,Iread she was RegisteredDietitian. Atthe
time I wasunfamiliarwithwhatanRD was,so I didmore researchon the job.The more informationI
found,the more I wasintriguedbythe job. As I wasreadingherreviews, Inoticedshe inspired manyto
adopta healthierlifestyle.Later,Idecided tofollow hermeal plansandnutritional tips.Insix months, I
endeduplosingall the weightIgained.She hadnotonlymotivatedme tolive ahealthierlife,butshe
alsoinspiredme tobecome anRD. Throughherblog,she had touchedandinspiredsomanypeople to
bettertheirlivesthroughnutrition. Ifeel itwouldbe sorewardingasa RegisteredDietitiantowitness
people notonlybe healthier,butthrive inall aspectsof life.
Ever since myweightlossjourney,Ikeptwantingtoseekmore opportunitiestohelpothersoutinthe
same situation. Iwas giventhe opportunityatUNCin the Fall of 2016 to volunteerasa Nutritional
CounselorforROTCcadets. This volunteeropportunity gave me knowledgeandinsightaboutnotonly
the counselingprocess,butachance to applythe skillsIhave learnedinclass. Throughthisprocess,I
have pickedup skillsandknowledge thatIwouldhave neverpickeduponinclassalone. Also,
throughoutmyentire college career,Ihave workedwithinthe foodservice industry. Asan RD, itis
importantto have knowledge onnotonlythe clinical andcommunityside of nutrition,butalsothe
foodservice side of the job. Ihave gainedexperienceasa supervisorandhave workeddirectlywithfood
by preppingusing ServSaf standards.Fromthese experiences,Ihave multipleviewsonnutritionwhich
will make me a well-roundedRegisteredDietitianinanyaspectof the field.
In the nextyearI see myself professionallystartingafoodscience career. My goal is to complete the
dieteticinternship,andreceivemylicenseasa RegisteredDietitian. If thingsdon’tgoas planned,my
goal is to passthe DTR examandwork withinthe fieldof Dieteticsasa DTR to helpgainexperience. As
for the nextfive totenyears, I can see myself startingmyownbusinessasa RegisteredDietitian.
Throughmy weightlossjourney,Ihave createdapassionforfitness. Mygoal is to use that passion
towardsa businessthatwill helpassistathletesreachtheirfitnessgoalsthrough nutrition. Aswell as
startinga business,mygoal is to alsocontinue myeducationto receive amaster’sdegree in either
publichealthorexercise science.

2. Some personal strengthsIhave wouldincludethatIam dependable,flexible,hardworking,anda team
player. Asfor jobbasedstrengthsIhave people,planning,andcommunicationskills. Forinstance,on
any assignmentswithingroups,Itake initiativetogettaskscompletedbeforethe due date. Also,for
any shiftIam assignedtoas a barista, Ishow up at leasttenminutesearlytomake sure I am there for
my coworkersif Iwas needed. Lastly,throughmyvolunteerandworkexperiences,Ihave developed
rapport withmanyindividualsbecauseof myhumble/friendlypersonality.Onthe otherhand, Ido have
weaknesses. SometimesIcan be shywhenbeingputina new environmentwithunfamiliarpeople.
Because I am shy,I alsolack inpublicspeaking. Currently,Iamconstantlytryingtoput myself inanew
environmenttoforce myself toopenupto people more quickly. Also, Iamtakinginitiative inclassto
raise my handand practice more withclasspresentations.
My top prioritiesinlife are myhealth,family,andschool. Healthismynumberone prioritybecause
youcannot helpothersuntil youhelpyourself. If yourhealthisnotwhere itshouldbe,thenmanyother
aspectsof your life are beingeffected. We onlyhave one bodyandthat bodyneedstobe takencare of.
I take the time everydayto maintainmyhealthsoI am happyinside andout. Once myhealthisgood,I
will focusonmy family. Myfamilyhassupportedme throughmydifficultiesinmiddle school,mystress
of marchingband,myfinancial needsof college,andmyemotionalstresswithgrowingup. Since they
have beenthere forme,I will alwaysbe there forthem.Lastly,school hasalwaysbeenabigpart of my
life. Ispendhourseachand everysingle nighttomake sure myassignmentsare completed. Ialsodon’t
try and getby school withthe bare minimumof justcompleting assignments.Itryandget the most out
of mylearningandstrive forthe bestgradesI can receive.Iconstantlyhave goalswithschool,andI
alwayshave a focus. CurrentlymyfocusisgraduatingwithBS inDieteticsandgainingacceptance intoa
DieteticInternshipProgram.