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Robert Brooks grew up in Conway, Arkansas with a curious mind and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. He graduated from Hendrix College in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and a Minor in Music. After a life altering workplace accident, the next decade was spent recovering and reevaluating his life path. As of 2019, with the help of his wife, Anna, he noticed physical fitness and the related nutritional demands played a significant role in his overall recovery. This sparked a greater interest in the pursuit of Dietetics and Nutrition. Since 2021, he’s been finishing a DPD Certificate from the University of Central Arkansas in preparation for a Dietetics Internship. When not focused on academics, Robert enjoys spending time with his wife exploring new places and trying new foods. He loves the challenge of building gaming PCs, exploring storytelling through D&D and general PC gaming, playing the string bass, and raising two amazing cats, Moxie and Odin. After the MSDI program he plans to combine his love for chemistry, teaching, and helping those in need as a clinical dietitian/nutrition counselor with the hope of one day opening a MNT Outpatient Center to address the community’s needs for overall health and wellness. |
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Michael Fuller grew up in the small town of Fairfield Bay, Arkansas and is currently a Conway resident with his wife Josie. He will be graduating from UCA with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics in May of 2023. In his free time, he likes to spend time with his Lab Zeus, play basketball, and watch movies. Michael discovered his interest in nutrition during the first FACS class he took in high school. Taking the nutrition classes here at UCA has played a big role in helping him decide this is the career path he wants to take. His current interests in the field include renal, sports, and pediatric nutrition. Becoming a dietitian through this program will aid him in fulfilling his career goal and finding his niche in the vast field of dietetics. |
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Kjerstin Hall grew up in the small suburb of Farmington, Minnesota and went to Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minnesota. Outside of school, she loves staying active, spending time with friends and family, and traveling; she has visited 45 of the 50 US states! Kjerstin quickly found her interest in nutrition while playing on the MSU women’s tennis team and receiving conflicting nutrition advice from various coaches and trainers. Over the past few years, she has worked in various clinical settings such as rehabilitation clinics, group homes, and at Boston Children’s Hospital. She knows she wants to work in a clinical setting and is specifically interested in working within a pediatric setting, serving communities that are disadvantaged. |
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Madison Powers is from Conway, AR and has a BS in Nutrition from UCA. |
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Chance Washburn grew up in southeastern Minnesota in the very small town of Kenyon. He has always had a love for food and cooking from a young age. As he has gotten older, he really enjoys baking bread and finding new recipes to challenge himself with. Chance also enjoys staying active, going on walks with his dog Rudy, watching sports, and movies. He was lucky enough to work directly with a dietitian while completing undergraduate studies, which was fun and a great learning experience. What really influenced him to enter the dietetics field was his own weight loss journey. He hopes to be a dietitian who works directly with food, so he can help others make nutritious choices in their lives. |
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Jenel Wood was born in Belize, Central America but currently calls Fayetteville, Arkansas home. She graduated with a bachelor’s in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Arkansas in 2023. In her free time Jenel enjoys jogging with her dog Mo, hanging out at coffee shops, and cooking healthy meals. Her love of food and working out led her to pursue a degree in nutrition. As a registered dietitian she hopes to work with adolescents struggling with eating disorders and body image issues to help them overcome and develop a healthy relationship with food. She hopes to give back to the field of Dietetics by earning her PhD and one day being on the team that writes the Dietary Guidelines. Jenel also plans to start a nonprofit organization that provides nutrition services for underprivileged communities. |