Hello Everyone! My name is Olivia Napoleon and I am a dietetic intern at the Philadelphia campus. I recently finished my wellness concentration and have began my rotation in food service management. Last month was March, or as we all know it, National Nutrition Month. I had the pleasure of tabling at Jefferson-North East, my main campus for clinical rotations, as well as University of Sciences. At Jefferson, I worked with a fellow intern promoting healthy meals on a budget. We had a cooking demo as well as a build your own yogurt parfait for the employees to enjoy! It was great to educate them while also having hands on examples!
Besides National Nutrition Month, my wellness concentration was filled with some great experiences. I was always curious what activities campus dietitians conduct at universities. As it turns out, there are so many different ways to incorporate nutrition. Some days consist of working with the executive chef and creating healthy food samples that are either served on campus or easy meals for college students to make. I also had the chance to create a great campaign for Eating Disorder Awareness week. We wanted to incorporate positive self-image, so we created a “Proud to be Me” board where students took unfiltered selfies and wrote something they were proud of themselves for. I also had the chance to observe counseling of students in where I learned how to incorporate intuitive eating with motivational interviewing. Promoting wellness at a university is such a rewarding experience and you can tell the students appreciate it.
As of now, I am in my food service management rotation also at the University of Sciences. I have been working on my theme meal and excited to promote it in the coming weeks. My theme is “Is it Summer Yet?” which will incorporate a variety of BBQ foods as well as some ways to enjoy a BBQ with some healthy alternatives. The semester for the university ends the last week of April, so the theme seemed fitting. I want to create a fun atmosphere for the students, so they can take a break from studying for finals. Hopefully it will be a wonderful event!
This internship has been flying by! I cannot believe it is so close to graduation. I have been given an array of opportunities that I couldn’t imagine getting without the help of this program. I know all of the different experiences I have had will benefit me as I further my career in dietetics. I cannot be appreciative enough!
This internship has been flying by! I cannot believe it is so close to graduation. I have been given an array of opportunities that I couldn’t imagine getting without the help of this program. I know all of the different experiences I have had will benefit me as I further my career in dietetics. I cannot be appreciative enough!
