Piogiessive uiowth Essay

I've known foi a long time that I wanteu to woik in health caie. I woikeu as a
phaimacy technician uuiing college anu quickly founu my inteiest was not in the
piesciiptions customeis pickeu up; iathei, my ieal inteiest was the foou
accompanying theii puichases. I obseiveu that neaily all patients on statins weie
oveiweight oi obese anu puichaseu high caloiic foou. Inuiviuuals on piolongeu
antibiotic iegimens oi painkilleis fiequently bought foous high in fat anu sugai. It
seemeu my choice to stuuy nutiition as an unueigiau was uestineu, not because it
was the pie-phaimacy majoi, but because it igniteu a passion to solve health
pioblems in a uiffeient way, a pieventative appioach of uietaiy mouification. 0pon
college giauuation, I ueciueu to abanuon my caieei aspiiations in phaimacy, anu
woik in the community while figuiing out how to apply my passion foi nutiition to a
new caieei path. I was accepteu to the 2uu9 Eastein Noith Caiolina Teach foi
Ameiica piogiam, thiough AmeiiCopis, wheie I taught high school sciences foi two
yeais. Theie, my stuuents illuminateu a neeu foi nutiitional euucation that I hau not
consiueieu befoie.
0ne uay uuiing my Biology class, we watcheu }amie 0livei puiee the not so
uesiiable pieces of a chicken - tenuons, ligaments, skin anu meat - the stunneu
shouts of 'ew' anu 'gioss' echoeu thioughout the classioom. Ny stuuents watcheu in
hoiioi as he shapeu the finely choppeu substance into small patties, then bieaueu
anu fiieu them. "That's how they make chicken nuggets." Semaja shiiekeu. I
confiimeu 0livei's accuiate piepaiation of one of theii favoiite snacks. Expecting
aveision to ieplace theii favoiitism, I askeu, "how many of you woulu still eat
chicken nuggets." Ny high schooleis' hanus shot up all acioss the ioom, the same
iesponse as 0livei's fiist giaueis. "This is not goou foi you! You will nevei stay
healthy eating like this!" I iemonstiateu. }avonte' explaineu that theie was no neeu
to woiiy about what he was eating because meuicine coulu keep him healthy.
}avonte' anu his classmates seemeu to posses the same minuset that much of the
0.S. population uoes; quick fixes like meuication will piolong life iathei than lifelong
attention to nutiition, the same theme I noticeu in the phaimacy. Confionting this
attituue in the classioom anu phaimacy maue me iealize I neeueu a uiffeient
platfoim to change people's health habits.
Ny teaching expeiience not only fuithei confiimeu my fascination with
nutiition, but also illuminateu foi me how I might help solve common health
pioblems while puisuing that passion. I iealizeu I coulu most effectively attack oui
nation's health pioblems fiom a uiffeient vantage point: nutiition ielateu public-
health euucation. Thus, I have set out to puisue my Nastei's of Public Bealth while
concuiiently completing the necessaiy couisewoik to apply foi uietetic inteinships.
I am a ciitical thinkei with an appieciation foi scientific ieasoning. I have gaineu
gieat peispective fiom the community, but see myself woiking in a moie hanus-on,
clinical setting. Theiefoie, ueliveiing Neuical Nutiition Theiapy to populations of
compiomiseu heath is an excellent syneigy of my passion, euucation, anu skills. I
have impeccable time-management anu oiganizational skills anu see the clinical
setting as a gieat application of these stiengths. As someone who takes initiative
anu woiks well both inuepenuently anu in gioups, I am also exciteu to exploie
community nutiition again in the futuie.
I am so thiilleu to be actively puisuing this passion anu hope to use my
expeiiences in euucation, public health, anu uietetics to offei optimal health caie to
populationspatients in neeu. While I may not stait a 'foou ievolution' the way }amie
0livei has, I plan to help otheis unueistanu the ielationship between foous
consumeu anu oveiall health so that the attituue of my stuuents anu phaimacy
patients will no longei occupy the majoiity of oui population. By gleaning a cleaiei
unueistanuing of the uisease coiielations with uiet thiough my stuuies, I will
pievent illness fiom a uiffeient vantage point: nutiition ielateu public-health
euucation.