1. What inspired you to intern with RFS? A mixture of my mom's encouragement and my passion to teach kids healthy habits. It has been my dream to have an after school program of some kind where I could work with young kids because it has been proven that what kids learn from birth to age 10 is what shapes their patterns the rest of their lives. That is why it is so important to teach kids how to understand and appreciate healthy eating habits so that they carry those habits with them into adulthood, which in turn can reduce obesity and diet related deaths.
2. How will the information that you learned here influence your next steps and/or your approach to nutrition?
While here I learned a lot about what goes on backstage and about all the little pieces that are necessary for an operation like this to run so smoothly and efficiently. So now I feel like I could take what I learned and better be prepared for when I get a chance to work with kids in a setting like this.
3. What is the most surprising thing that you learned during your time with RFS?
That you can mix vegetables into just about anything and still make it taste good! While here I had "green eggs and ham", which had green onions, green peppers, kale and Swiss chard and it tasted even better than regular scrambled eggs and was far more nutritious. By doing recipes like this and having kids experiment with different vegetables, it makes eating healthy fun and exciting so that they want to actually eat like this everyday.
4. What will you take away from your time at RFS?
That the best way to overcome something as massive as childhood obesity or any worldwide epidemic is to start small, and with time, patience and hard work you can slowly overcome the giant you set out to defeat.
5. What was your favorite thing you participated in while at RFS?
My favorite thing was going to a Houston Food Policy Work group, with fellow staff member Alyssa Dole. Not only did I feel grown up getting to participate in a meeting but also it was exciting being surrounded by people who were all fighting to make a change. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people complain about a problem and do nothing to change it, so I loved getting to see this work group in action trying to make a difference.
6. Why would you encourage others to get involved with RFS?
I would encourage others to get involved because not only is it such an important organization, but it's fun! They don't have kids focus on the negatives, like their weight and appearance, instead they focus on the positives like how to live healthier lives in general. Something like this is so hard to find in the society we live in today because all too often people think to be healthy you have to be model skinny, but that is far from the truth and to get to participate in a company that believes that too is unbelievably rewarding.
