Kailey Cologero - Region 9

During my advanced clinical rotation, I got the opportunity to participate in a career fair for middle schoolers called “Career on Wheels.” The event was held at a high school parking lot here in Fargo, ND. The setup was an outer circle of cars and a few other vehicles in the middle; it reminded me of a “trunk-or-treat” event. The students got to visit people of many different careers and learn a little about each one. They traveled around the circle of cars with a small group and a chaperone. Some of the careers featured at the event included a radio host, food truck owner, plumber, movie director, and even a funeral director.
 
I worked alongside the clinical nutrition manager at my clinical site to plan and execute an activity for the kids who came to visit our booth. We wanted an interactive game to get the kids excited, so we decided on the game of Plinko. We came up with over 20 questions to ask them. If they got the question right, they got to play for a chance to win a snack. Examples of questions we asked include, “What vitamin do we get from the sun?” and “What food or drink contains calcium?” To our surprise, most of the kids were really knowledgeable! We brought 800 snacks, and by the end of the day, almost all of the snacks had been won! In addition to the game, we also told the kids what being a dietitian was all about and got to learn what they all wanted to be when they grew up. Some of the kids were really interested in what we had to say, and we received some great questions. Our hope is that we inspired some kids to think about a career in nutrition and dietetics.

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