I hope very much to be selected to earn the Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at XXXX University. I currently earn my living in management and sales and the excellence of my work has been recognized by being chosen to participate in JPMorgan’s ASCEND Program, geared to facilitate the promotion of top performers in corporate management. This is not, however, where my heart is. Since adolescence, I have had a great passion for nutrition and health, reading widely in this area for a long time, especially over the course of the last several years.

Born and raised in Venezuela, I landed in Miami at the age of 17 and by 25 I had realized my dream of moving to New York City. I remain close by in New Jersey where I live with my children and a very supportive husband. I take pride in my celebration of diversity and I am confident that it will help me to excel as a Nutrition professional. I have explored much of Colombia, Peru, Argentina, and especially Brazil, along with my Brazilian husband. I have also visited the Caribbean, Central America, Canada, parts of Western Europe, and Southeast Asia. XXXX is my first choice among graduate programs in Nutrition for a variety of reasons; mainly the sheer excellence of your program and the fact that your location is ideal, allowing me to give my all to graduate school without having to neglect my family or professional responsibilities. Also fluent in Portuguese as a result of marrying a Brazilian man, I thrive on the diversity for which XXXX is noted.

As my reading in Nutrition and health broadens and my understanding deepens, I find myself learning more and more about the basic sciences and the theoretical and applied aspects of nutrition and dietetics; as well as the critical need to educate the public on appropriate food and lifestyle choices that optimize health and prevent disease. Most relevant to my plans for the future is the fact that I also work as a life coach on my website (www.xxxx.com), helping “on-the-go” professional women to take control of their health and regain confidence and energy through lifestyle changes, especially the transformation of their diet to heal and maintain the highest possible level of functioning of the digestive system

I especially look forward to obtaining clinical experience through supervised practice in the program at XXXX University, leading to eligibility for the CDR exam to become a registered dietitian. In this way I will be able to complete my transition from businesswoman to full-time Nutrition professional, giving my all to the science of diet 24/7 - for the balance of my professional lifetime. Eventually, I look forward to starting my own practice in Nutrition/RD geared towards my long-term mission of helping to reduce obesity and all of the health maladies that accompany that scourge on our society. In particular, I want to help reduce obesity in teenagers from undeserved communities through nutrition education and lifestyle change.

I see the creation and promotion of my web site as a permanent, lifetime endeavor, and within time I look forward to travelling broadly, building solidary and raising consciousness in all of my languages about Nutrition, lifestyle choices, and diet – networking in all of these areas. I will continue to cultivate a special focus on the implementation of nutrition education programs devoted to helping obese teenagers to reduce, by partnering with farmers, food banks and other NGOs, and government intuitions. 

Earning my Master’s will help me to make Little by Little (www.xxxx.com) a top choice for "on-the-go" women seeking to heal their digestive maladies - little by little. I want to provide women with full, holistic perspectives concerning their health needs and challenges, partnering with doctors and other practitioners, changing the way our current health system works, implementing lasting and sustainable change for my clients.

Volunteer work has always been central to my life. An active member of the Police Athlete League, I give presentations as a “Woman of Inspiration” for the Girl Talk Program on health and lifestyle, mostly to teenage girls from undeserved communities. I also volunteer with Achilles International – helping to find running partners for people with disabilities

 I thank you for considering my application to the Master’s in Nutrition and Dietetics Program at XXXX.

I plan to devote my professional lifetime to the study of cardiovascular disease and its risk markers and why it is on the rise in most low and middle income countries, now accounting for over 31% of global deaths. I look forward to paying special attention in my research to the way in which cardiovascular disease is multifactorial, most particularly how it can but can be prevented or alleviated by good nutrition. I want to closely study how the consumption of fruits and vegetables which contain a bioactive component called flavonoids reduce the risk of several chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency have also been linked to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular risk markers and the emergence of complications in cardiovascular disease cases. (Ambuj et al., 2015; Harikrishnan et al., 2015). Flavonoids are a family of biologically active polyphenolic compounds found in fruits, vegetables, tea and red wine. I see these issues of nutrition and cardiovascular health to be especially critical in my country, Nigeria, since political violence and the displacement of so many hundreds of thousands have desperately aggravated malnutrition and the pathogenesis of various non-communicable as well as communicable diseases.

Thus, the central aspect of the research that I seek to undertake is to investigate the effects of dietary flovonids and Vitamin D supplementation on vascular health and cardiovascular risk markers through a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that assesses the effect of dietary flavonoids and Vitamin D supplementation on vascular function and cardiovascular risk markers;, the mechanism of action and its bioavailability, and particularly the minimum dosage required to effect a positive change in vascular function.

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On completion of the XXXX fellowship, I look forward to contributing to progressive change and economic development primarily in Nigeria, in the areas of nutrition, health, employment and economic empowerment – especially for marginalized communities. In Nigeria, death from malnutrition accounts for 2.77% of total deaths, coronary heart disease 2.82% and strokes 3.66%. I seek simple, low cost, and highly intelligent solutions to combat this great toll, such as encouraging and promoting the production of date fruits at the local level in schools in coordination with simultaneous promotions at state and federal levels. I want to educate everyone that I come into contact with concerning the benefits of dietary flavonoids and Vitamin D supplementation, doing as much public speaking in this area as possible. I look forward to paying special attention throughout my career to women and girls because when you empower a girl you empower a nation. In particular, I want to have a share in encouraging girls in Africa to pursue science, technology and also engineering – particularly with respect to food production but a host of other areas as well.

I want to oversee the development of healthy household snacks as well as meals, especially those geared towards children. I will appeal to the great compassion that women have and their love for their children to get them engaged in this issue through interaction with and mentoring of students in community schools and other places, empowering them to become agents of change.

Although raised by a mother who was very aware of the need for a varied and healthy diet, my father developed Type 2 Diabetes and this spurred a special interest in this disease which is unusually, and increasingly, common among South Asians. I have undertaken significant private study into the causes and treatment of this disease. Diet is clearly a basic factor in both preventing and controlling the disease and I passionately hope to acquire the skills and knowledge to enable me to assist people to identify  and adopt health-preserving diets and especially in relation to this disease.

As a child growing up in Manila, Philippines, I saw countless people who lacked adequate health care, exacerbated by poor nutrition and chronic deficiencies in their physical and mental health. This experience affected my outlook on life, inspiring me to encourage positive change and motivating me to enter the field of nutrition and dietetics. I did not simply see third world poverty bringing down a nation’s health, I was immersed in it. I was born into a family that loved food but misunderstood its value and purpose, also spurning physical activity – a deadly combination. As I entered adult life, I watched close family members battle type-2 diabetes and two of them passed away from diabetes complications in their early 50s. This heightened my interest in and dedication to the battle against diabetes early on. I married into an Iranian-American Jewish family that shares similar food habits as my native culture, with more than half of my husband’s family not only diagnosed with type-2 diabetes but also battling obesity ranging from class 1 to 3, throughout most of their lives. When I began having children, I became more aware of and concerned about the poor eating habits ingrained deeply in my extended families. It took me over five years to get back to normal weight after my first child and during my second pregnancy I was myself diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I found myself researching nutrition and exercise in my spare time which lead me to pursue a career in utilizing food and physical activity to prevent and manage disease and obesity. Today, as a mother of two, my passion for healthy nutrition continues to grow – grounded in my own immigrant experience as a young woman from the Philippines, very much impressed by the great need for better nutrition in my home country as well as among my fellow immigrants here in America. I use the memory of my childhood experiences and the knowledge I have gained through nutrition courses to better my own health and that of my family. I have enjoyed some success, persuading my husband’s brother, for example, to follow a diabetic diet with the help of one of their cousins who is an RD.

Over the years, I have distinguished myself as a volunteer in clinical and food service settings around Los Angeles, volunteering at Broadway By The Sea, a long-term care facility, and Jewish Family Service (JFS), a multi-service agency providing a wide range of human services at every life cycle. Working under the supervision of an RD in a long-term care facility has enabled me to learn more about the special needs of geriatric patients, particularly with respect to a variety of therapeutic diets.

One patient in particular at Broadway By The Sea, Mr. DI, stands out in my mind. He suffered from hemiparesis, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, a stage-4 pressure ulcer of left hip and several other ailments. His pressure ulcer worsened from stage 2 to stage 4 within months at the time that I helped to care for him, and he started losing weight because he wouldn’t eat his diabetic diet order. I did my best to encourage his intake at mealtimes and even tried his therapeutic diet so that I could share the mealtime experience with him. Mr. DI’s RD and I recommended changing therapeutic meals based on his food preferences. Since he prefers poultry, fish and meat, we offered him high-protein meal alternatives such as salmon, chicken without the skin and leanest meat options. He also had high protein supplements and snacks. Mr. DI started eating more and slowly gained weight. His pressure ulcer improved to stage-2 by the time I finished volunteering at Broadway By The Sea.

My volunteer experiences have helped me to develop a rapport with clinical RDs, dietary managers, and front-line kitchen staff – inspiring me to become a tireless advocate for elderly care programs and the improvement of nutrition for older people with a focus on wellness and diabetes management. I look forward to a long professional lifetime contributing to research and practice in the control of type-2 diabetes among older people. I could not be more excited about the prospect of my increasing participation in the struggle against diabetes, especially helping older people to lose weight.  

My volunteer experiences at the Chaverim, a JFS special social program for people with disabilities, and Home Visitor, a home visitation program for seniors, taught me how to actively listen to clients, paying close attention to the content of their words along with the feelings that they convey. During a Chanukah party at the Chaverim, the catering was over two hours late. The participants began to wander around and ask about the food, showing clear signs of impatience. I interpreted this as an indication to help, so I decided to help entertain the guests with Israeli dances and Chanukah songs. The foodservice staff finally arrived and the guests ended up with a lovely Chanukah meal despite the issues in the kitchen. My work with JFS gave me the opportunity to become a compassionate human services provider and advocate for families and individuals at every stage of the life cycle.

I started my own business, the Operetta Café & Restaurant while still a full partner at the multinational CareerEdge, Inc. I gained many positive and profitable life experiences as a restaurant owner and as I train for a career in nutrition I am glad that I have a deep, inside understanding of the foodservice world. Owning Operetta has allowed me to apply food safety concepts in a food service setting such as prevention of cross-contamination, time-temperature abuse, and HAACP plans. Prior to taking over Operetta from the previous owner, its health inspection grades varied from B to C. Two critical violations will result in a B. I noticed that most of the violations were time-temperature abuse, cross-contamination and HAACP plans. I solved this problem by training staff on a regular basis on the importance of time, temperature and use of the food thermometer, preventing food contamination by employees, practicing good personal hygiene, basic knowledge of foodborne illnesses and outbreaks and instructions on cross contamination. The regular basic employee training and refresher courses relieved stressful moments from health inspections. Operetta started passing with flying colors with a grade not lower than an A. An A grade is 90 to 100 points which means the restaurant establishments are generally superior in food handling practices and overall food facility maintenance. Similarly, I was able to cut six months from the hiring and training process by outsourcing (BPO) to offices in Manila and Cebu, Philippines. I also cut the cost of starting the BPO offices to less than $100,000 from the original budget. Effective financial and organizational management, the ability to delegate and problem solve, and clear, open communication were some of the skills that I improved upon as an owner for both business enterprises.

One aspect of my professional career that needs improvement is that sometimes I focus too much on details. I tend to get too curious and distracted by finer points of a project and I frequently end up spending too much time reading something that may be only slightly relevant. I have become increasingly disciplined and focused, however, as I gain experience. In nutrition and dietetics, I believe that it’s very important to stay organized and prioritize and this will enable me to stay focused.

As a result of my extensive background in information technology, I created a walking and running tracker app in early 2017 to better integrate technology into everyday life as an easy and effective way to keep people motivated to achieve and to realize their health and fitness goals. This app has inspired many of my family members and friends to increase their level of physical activity.

After graduating from UXX, I would like to practice as a clinical dietitian in a geriatrics setting with emphasis on wellness and diabetes management. I believe that the elderly population can benefit from adopting good health and wellness habits through counseling and education programs. With healthy food and physical activity habits integrated into longtime favorite hobbies and interests, the elderly can enjoy a higher quality of life for a longer period of time. I also plan to become a Certified Diabetes Educator. My long-term goal is to assume a managerial role in a clinical geriatrics field and someday open my own practice focused on diabetes care.

Of all the graduate programs with coordinated dietetics internship in the country, UXX’s Master’s Program in Nutrition, Healthspan and Longevity excites me the most because of UXX’s sterling reputation and the wide range of courses taught by leaders in their fields, launching graduates into promising professional careers. Most importantly, it would be an honor to study under Dr. Valter Longo, whose research on diabetes I especially admire. I do not submit this application halfheartedly; it has been my passionate intention for years. I am now fully prepared academically and mentally to undertake the rigor of your program.

I thank you for considering my application to the XXXX School at UXX.