When I first started as a student at UK I changed my major several times- French then biology and ultimately landing on human nutrition because I’ve always had an interest in food (baking, cooking, trying new foods/restaurants, food culture, and learning about how certain foods can impact health). I returned to UK a year after I graduated and decided to pursue a degree in dietetics because I wanted to help people ‘get healthy’. I used to think that just meant eat healthier foods like fruits and vegetables, less saturated fat, etc., but my career path has taught me that health is more than just what you eat but why you eat. When I chose dietetics, I didn’t realize that I could work with clients to help them build a healthy relationship with food and that’s what I do now as a dietitian working with eating disorders and disordered eating. I chose this program because I wanted to stay in Lexington after graduation and I felt that the connections I made with teachers, staff, fellow students would support my future career path in Kentucky.

I loved my undergraduate experience, but all of my favorite memories are from my graduate program while I was also completing my dietetics courses. I loved the nutrition community, the teachers, my fellow students-it felt like a family in a way. It was so fun and I actually looked forward to being on campus everyday. I always felt like the teachers and administration always had my best interest in mind and they were always really easy to approach and talk to. I think my favorite class was the class with Chef Bob where I learned basic cooking methods-to this day, I still cut my onions and peppers the way he taught me. Genius.

After I graduated with my master’s degree and completed my dietetics course work and my internship, I started working at Bluegrass Nutrition Counseling. I also did contract work for a nutrition education company, worked part time as a clinical dietitian at St. Joe’s Hospital, and taught some corporate wellness classes for Kentucky Utilities. I dabbled in a lot of areas of dietetics and found my passion in nutrition counseling for eating disorders.

Today I still work at Bluegrass Nutrition Counseling and I just completed my application for my Certified Eating Disorders Specialist (CEDS) certification. I have a 9 month old daughter, and working for a private practice has been so flexible, which is something I really love about my career path. All of my days are different depending on how I schedule my clients and meetings with doctors and therapists. After working in a hospital setting, I realized that a monotonous schedule was hard for me. As an early dietetics student, I didn’t know that I could be a dietitian in an outpatient eating disorder setting. There is always something to learn, and the counseling aspect allows you to expand your role beyond what the traditional dietetics job description entails. As a dietitian in this setting, I feel like I am truly valued and that I have an impact on each client I work with. If it weren’t for dietetics and UK’s program I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today.