Dietetic Intern Class of 2019-2020

Jordan Bellew graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nutrition from the University of Central Arkansas in December of 2018. He was born in Little Rock and was raised in Jacksonville, Arkansas with two younger siblings. He loves cycling, kayaking, traveling, and hiking during his spare time. Nutrition piqued Jordan’s interest after meeting with a dietitian and starting a proper balanced diet helped him recover from a chronic illness. The lifestyle change did impacted him and encouraged people that were involved in his daily life. Once Jordan has noticed the positive impact that nutrition can accomplish, he knew that dietetics was the right path for him. After Jordan completes the MS/DI program at UCA he envisions becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist in the community. He wants to work with athletes and community members in need of nutritional support.
Armani Famous was raised in Conway, AR. Growing up in Conway and spending time at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA), she would go forward to receive her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition at UCA in December 2018. Armani enjoys volunteering in the community and helping others. In her free time, she likes to read articles, take her dogs for walks, and teach Zumba. Her interest in health, nutrition, and fitness started at a young age and grew even more while working at a hospital. Armani’s focus is nutrition education for underprivileged demographics. After completing the MSDI program, she plans to pursue her PhD in nutrition and continue to impact African American women through her scholarship at UCA.
Mackenzie Harris grew up in Siloam Springs, AR. She graduated from UCA with her Bachelor’s in Nutrition in May 2019. Mackenzie enjoys hiking, traveling, and reading. She became interested in nutrition when she took a course her freshman year and realized how important nutrition is. After completing the UCA MSDI program, she would like to work as a clinical dietitian. Her interest is in working with cardiac patients as her father has heart disease and she would like to help this population.
Kelly Hays grew up in Conway, AR. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 2015 with a Bachelors in Journalism. After working in technology sales for a year, she decided to go back to school to pursue her passion for nutrition. In December of 2019, she completed her second bachelor’s degree, this time in nutrition. Kelly enjoys hiking, snowboarding, days on the lake, camping, gardening, lifting weights and watching basketball. While she is interested in the clinical side of dietetics, she also wants to help others live healthier lives through local gardening projects, education, and outreach programs in her community.
Meredith Mannix grew up in Arlington, Texas with her three younger brothers. She graduated from Texas Woman’s University with her Bachelor’s in Nutrition in May 2019 and is excited for her new adventure in Arkansas. Meredith loves owls, to garden, cook, paint, sing, play the piano, shop and do puzzles. After volunteering in an assisted living and knowing her love for science, especially health, she decided to start on a path in nutrition. Meredith has an interest in geriatric nutrition but is looking forward to making new friends and diving into all the areas of dietetics.
McKenzi McAllister grew up in Greenbrier, Arkansas. She has an older sister and a niece who she loves dearly. McKenzi spends her free time with family and playing with her Chihuahua, Penny. She began her journey with the University of Central Arkansas in 2016. In December of 2018, she completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition. Through dietetics, McKenzi, wants to be involved in helping people understand that nutrition can be healing, healthy, manageable, and comforting. She believes that food is medicine.
Kaylee O’Hare is from Siloam Springs Arkansas. She grew up participating in many different sports, helping out at church, riding horses, and spending time with friends and family. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition. She loves being active and enjoying the outdoors. Some of her favorite hobbies include hiking, biking, swimming, water-skiing and snow-skiing, and she takes every opportunity she can to visit the beach or mountains. She also loves cooking and trying new recipes, helping the community, working out, and being with family and friends. Kaylee is not sure which area in dietetics she will end up pursuing but is looking forward to the different rotations and finding what suits her best. She is excited about her future career of helping individuals become the happiest and healthiest version of themselves.
Christan Schell grew up outside Joplin, Missouri with her sister, dogs, cats, and horses. She is a graduate from Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Movement Science. Shortly afterward graduating, she moved to Arkansas where she currently lives with her husband and mini American Shepherd named Emmy. While working as a physical therapy assistant and then as a medical scribe, Christan became very aware of patients’ desires to improve themselves through nutrition. She believes that all people have a right to evidence based nutritional information and care. While working with the Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program within WIC, she was able to see how important these programs are. She sees lots of opportunities to help bridge the gaps between nutritional knowledge and public implementation. Cooking and building personal bonds with people over food and nutrition are integral parts of her life. She is excited to use her love of food to positively impact people’s lives. Other interests and activities include sustainable living, yoga, tea, spending time at the lake, walking Emmy, watching stand-up comedy, food documentaries, traveling, and exploring different cultures.