Eight years ago, I had gastric bypass surgery; it was a decision I did

not take lightly. I researched the surgery for five years prior to
consulting with Dr. John Coon at the advice of my Primary Care
Physician. That day changed my life in more way than one. The
obvious way I was changed was the physical transformation. In 10
months' time, I lost 110 pounds and reached my goal. What I did not
expect was the spiritual and psychological transformation. Being
involved in my support group, I often told my story to new and
prospective bariatric patients. Being an inspiration and mentor to
other bariatric patients felt "right". That feeling is what inspired me to
go back to school and become a Registered Dietitian so that I can work
with bariatric patients. My interest in nutrition and living a healthy
lifestyle are among my attributes that make me an excellent candidate
for the profession; but mostly, I feel my personal experience of being
morbidly obese, having bariatric surgery, losing weight and
successfully maintaining my weight give me an edge when working
with bariatric patients. I will be able to empathize with my clients and
patients, helping them learn not only from my academic knowledge,
but my personal experiences as well. I am fortunate enough to be able
to volunteer in Dr. Coon's office counseling patients on the
commitment to lifestyle change and advancing their diets post-surgery
as part of their individual follow-up care. As part of my recent
education, I have been fortunate to participate in volunteer lab

rotations giving me experience in the State Headstart program, Patton

State Hospital, as well as Foodservice experience. I also volunteer as a
nutrition counselor, providing free counseling for faculty, staff and
students on campus. My short-term goals are to finish my education,
get matched for a dietetic internship, and successfully pass the RD
exam. Long-term, I hope to either work for a bariatric surgeon, or as a
consultant for bariatric patients to help them maintain their weight
long-term. Some of my strengths are that I am comfortable speaking
in front of people, I am passionate about nutrition, I am a people
person, I am professional, I am task oriented, and my passion is
working with bariatric patients. As a dietetic intern, and later as a
nutrition professional, education will be part of my duties. Being
comfortable with public speaking will allow me to prepare and deliver
effective educational workshops. Being passionate about nutrition will
help me be more effective as a dietitian. My clients will see my
passion and (hopefully) get excited about nutrition also. Dealing with
people will be my job on a daily basis, so people skills are a must.
Having good people skills will help me identify on a personal level with
patients, which will increase my ability to relate to them and keep
them motivated. Also, during internship and beyond, I will be dealing
with many different types of people. The ability to recognize different
personality types and adapt to accommodate will help me be
successful. In my former career, I was a bank auditor and had to

interact with executive management and the Board of Directors.

Conducting myself in a professional manner at all times was important.
Additionally, I had access to sensitive information that had to be kept
confidential. As a registered dietitian, I will have access to personal
and medical information that is sensitive and confidential. Being taskoriented, if I see something that needs to be done, I take the initiative
to get it done. I am not one to sit around and wait to be asked. As a
registered dietitian, I will need to be self-motivated enough to work
independently and with confidence. Being the President of two
different organizations on campus this year has definitely improved my
leadership skills. Balancing work, family and school has been a
challenge, but I believe this challenge has made me the strong student
and leader that I am today. I am a fully inducted member of the
National Society of Leadership and Success. I am also a founding
Board Member, serving on the Executive Board since the inception of
our chapter on CSUSB campus. I served as Vice-President during the
2014/2015 academic year, and I am currently serving as the President
during the 2015/2016 academic year. Being part of NSLS has
broadened the scope of my education experience. The live speaker
broadcasts gave me exposure to successful leaders and entrepreneurs
that shared their success stories and challenges. Additionally, my
leadership skills have been greatly improved and my positions on the
Executive Board have allowed me to experience not only working as a

Team Leader, but also gave me invaluable experience at being an

integral part of a cohesive team that achieved many goals. I have
facilitated Board Meetings, Member Orientations, Leadership Training,
Speaker Broadcasts, Success Networking Teams, and coordinated and
organized volunteer opportunities for our organization. Additionally, I
am currently the President of the Nutrition Student Association on
CSUSB campus for the 2015/2016 academic year. This has given me
invaluable experience in organizing health and nutrition-related
volunteer opportunities, fundraising (which has directly resulted in
raising over $700 for our club to-date), facilitating Board and
Membership meetings, and overall networking within the field of
dietetics. Lastly, I am well organized and dedicated and would be an
asset to the dietetic internship to which I am accepted. I do not
hesitate to step up and take the lead to make sure things get done.
My passion is working with bariatric patients, and I myself have had
gastric bypass surgery. I feel that this gives me an advantage in that I
know the difficulties, challenges and limitations first hand. This will
help me relate to my clients on a level that could not be reached had I
not had bariatric surgery. Some of my weaknesses include delegation,
getting emotionally attached, patience, and not being bilingual.
Sometimes when it is appropriate to delegate, I feel it is just easier to
do things myself, rather than take the time to explain to and train
someone to do a task. Failure to delegate can result in spreading

yourself too thin and risk quality of work. Further, delegating helps
improve leadership and general skills in others around you. I feel that
good leaders and managers build a strong team around them rather
than trying to do everything themselves. I have a tendency to get
attached to people very quickly. As a nutrition professional, I will have
to separate my personal attachment from my responsibility as a
registered dietitian and keep relationships with my clients professional.
Sometimes I get impatient when people have a hard time
understanding something that seems like "common knowledge" to me.
As a registered dietitian, I will need to remember that it takes time to
break old habits and form new ones. Knowing that I have this
weakness, I can be more aware and give my clients time to develop
healthier habits. Further, I feel that not being bilingual will be a
challenge for me, especially during my internship. Being in California,
it would definitely benefit me to know Spanish. I have taken 3 years of
Japanese, albeit 10 years ago. I feel that brushing up on my Japanese
may come in handy during internship and throughout my career, even
though it is not as prevalent in California as Spanish. Being a military
spouse, I am fortunate to have lived abroad and experienced other
cultures first-hand. As a dietetic intern and later as a nutrition
professional, I look forward to giving back to my community and
educating, encouraging and assisting my clients and patients to help
them set and reach realistic nutrition goals. Lastly, I look forward to

helping people make lifestyle changes that will improve their health
and quality of life.