We are so excited to congratulate Ivette on receiving one of the 2021 Enlightened Grants from Diversify Dietetics to help support her during her Dietetic Internship! Diversify Dietetics works to increase the racial and ethnic diversity in the field of nutrition by empowering nutrition leaders of color.

We are beyond proud to have Ivette in our program. Ivette has big plans on how she will add “something extra” to the world of Dietetics.

Here’s what she has to say about adding her unique and amazing “lagniappe” as a future RDN:

“After practicing as a registered dietitian nutritionist, I would like to focus on more community-based programs to improve health outcomes. I plan to develop a ‘food intelligence’ initiative in black and brown communities. There is a lack of supermarket dietitians in less populated lower-income neighborhoods. Supermarket chains like Acme or Shoprite typically have an in-house dietitian. Yet, some black and brown neighborhoods that could benefit from having health and nutrition experts are not afforded equitable services than their more affluent counterparts. In collaboration with two registered nurses, we aim to allocate our healthcare expertise to communities that do not have nutrition education resources readily available. We intend to even out the playing field for people of color. We see incentives in these communities to improve individuals’ professional, financial, and academic outlooks, but there is a lack of investment in individuals’ health and overall well-being. Ideally, this would become a full-time career after becoming well-versed in charitable organizations and funding. The knowledge I will gain from graduating from the Lagniappe Wellness Dietetic Internship will provide a solid foundation as a registered dietitian and diabetes educator as I move forward in this career endeavor.“

Ivette, Lagniappe Wellness Dietetic Intern