Pascua Yaqui Tribe Personal Statement

Although it has been five years since I graduated from college, my knowledge and experience has grown and the dream of me becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist has only strengthened. Throughout these last few years, my goal has been to be open to new opportunities and take each as a valuable learning experience. My journey started when I was hired as a diet aide and has ultimately progressed to working as a dietetic technician. As a community nutritionist, I developed a feel and confidence for how to educate and counsel community members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe as part of the Diabetes Prevention and Treatment Program. I am a Native American and part of this tribe and therefore was so enthused to be part of their health care team. Being fresh out of college and given only a vague idea of the expectations of the position, I gathered all my available resources and set about the task of independently creating a successful education and counseling program. As I learned the ropes and increased my knowledge base, I felt the need to develop healthy cooking classes for my clients. The goal was to show my clients how to cook delicious, affordable and nutrient dense meals while catering to their specific culture preferences. I adamantly pushed for this program to happen and to succeed. Although I no longer work with the PYT Tribe,

I finally landed a Diet Tech position, which has provided a wealth of knowledge in the area of clinical nutrition. While working in the clinical setting, I have discovered my love for medical nutrition therapy. Here, I feel that I truly contribute to a piece of the puzzle in helping a patient achieve or meet their health goals. This gives me validation to why I chose to become a nutrition professional and someday, a