Hello! My name is Emily Shannon, and I am Sodexo dietetic intern, distance option. Currently, I am located in Roanoke, VA, and I am finishing up my community rotation with Roanoke City Public Schools. For my concentration I chose school nutrition, and it truly opened my eyes to its world. I thought it was going to be just planning menus for school lunch, but I was wrong! The dietitian I had the pleasure to work with is extremely passionate about nutrition and wellness of the students, employees, patrons of the schools, and community. During my time with RCPS I gave nutrition educations to students/staff, participated with Books and Breakfast, implemented a flavor station (smarter lunchroom movement) at a local high school, and SO MUCH MORE!
There is never a dull moment while working with the schools! I had the opportunity to really submerge myself in the community. On a weekly basis, the RD and I would go out to some of the elementary schools to educate the students. The educations were always nutrition focused with a fun activity attached. For example, I gave an education on the life cycle of an apple to a kindergarten class and afterwards we got to taste test apples! It was always so rewarding going back to the school and hearing the staff and students express gratitude. Some of the students were excited to say that they went to the store with their parents and got more fruits and vegetables for home!
There is never a dull moment while working with the schools! I had the opportunity to really submerge myself in the community. On a weekly basis, the RD and I would go out to some of the elementary schools to educate the students. The educations were always nutrition focused with a fun activity attached. For example, I gave an education on the life cycle of an apple to a kindergarten class and afterwards we got to taste test apples! It was always so rewarding going back to the school and hearing the staff and students express gratitude. Some of the students were excited to say that they went to the store with their parents and got more fruits and vegetables for home!
I also had the chance, on Saturday mornings, to reach out to our community with a program called Books and Breakfast. This program provides a hot breakfast and a free book for anyone in the community. I would help prepare the food and also interact with participants while they were consuming breakfast, giving informal nutrition education about the benefits of breakfast! I also started a “flavor station” in one of the local high schools. This station has an assortment of sodium-free seasonings (red pepper flakes, onion/garlic powder, cinnamon, etc) that students can add to their food. My goal was to educate the students and let them know they can make their food taste great without adding salt! This experience has taught me to embrace every moment and take pride in all my projects while at my rotation. Everyone is different. Not one story is the same. Take time to listen. I really enjoyed my time with the school system; meeting and sharing stories with all kinds of people of my community had a positive impact on my life!
Remember…keep calm and intern on!
