WAND'S DIETETIC DIVERSITY PROMOTER "DIARY"

By: Cheron Copeland, NDTR

Diversity in Dietetics Social Hours at MATC

March 1, 2024: The social kicked off with a trendy ice breaker “of-course-I’m-a-blank-student” and participants described something funny about their major. We ate vegetables and discussed ways WAND can help/support diverse students. Participants asked for a different time that would better suit their schedule and garner more interest.

Afterwards we played games then attendees filled out our feedback survey.

I spoke with one of three high school students in the hallway about attending MATC for their nutrition program. Two of the students mentioned wanting to go to MATC already then took the pamphlets with them.

April 10, 2024: The diversity social went over really well. This time we had more nutrition students and a dietitian from the Hunger Task Force came by to speak with us. She shared her experiences finishing school, balancing internships and her masters degree, and study resources she used to pass the RD exam.

I spoke with several MATC students in the hallway to share what the dietetics program is about and how they could benefit from dietetics. Two students were business majors and I talked with them about the benefit of a CDM to specialize in restaurant management as a career choice.

A lady came by who aspires to have a major at UWM in women's and gender studies to serve in the community- we discussed the potential for her to explore the community navigator pathway as it could be a potential bridge for working in the community with WIC as a population of interest.

The nutrition students exchanged information among each other and the ones who filled out the survey said they would like to know of more events in the future so perhaps keep an email list for future reference if possible.

I encouraged the people interested to come by the office and gave them program pamphlets if they wanted to learn more about the program. I have shared out how to get involved with WAND and Diversity Dietetics for them to continue on if they are interested.

HOSA Conference at Chula Vista, Wisconsin Dells

April 15, 2024: I met a teacher passing in the hall who said she has students interested in nutrition and she’ll send them my way so that’s nice to hear.

The conference went very well! I ran out of MATC program handouts as many students and school advisors wanted to learn more about dietetics programs.

At the HOSA conference I hand ticked people as they came by to track impressions vs engagements. I ticked 79 impressions (brief conversations with students, staff, etc..) and 32 Engagements (long conversations, questions, advice with students, staff, etc.) I brought snacks (whole grain granola bars, gluten free fruit snacks, and Hi-Chew candies, mini water bottle) and prizes (stickers and pencils) to play the game "Name a Nutrient." It's very simple, the students had to name a nutrient (vitamin or mineral) to win a prize. Many enjoyed it and it was a fun way to talk with them about nutrition.

Take a peak in Cheron's "Diary" in her review of the year as WAND's DDP and the various encounters she made

Since many students wanted to go into the medical field i promoted WAND and the eatright.org website reminding them that they will need to know nutrition resources in the future anyway. A fair number of students were undecided on future career paths so I shared with them the option to join dietetics and the flexibility of the field.

Lastly, we did have at least four students who wanted to be dietitians. One student stood out because of the nature of her questions though I was sure to tell them all the closest schools near them to join the field.

A major take- a-way was the amount of school advisors who took handouts and asked for career information to share with students. I met an MPS director who would like to know more information on how students can join the MATC program pathway, and I gave her the handouts along with the MATC website. Overall, I believe the event went well and in the future I would bring more "careers in dietetics" handouts as that one was the most popular.

MATC Open House

April 25, 2024: At the MATC Open House I set up a booth in the healthcare pathway hall to invite potential students to join the NDTR program. While I was there I encouraged several students to join dietetics emphasizing that the field can be diverse. Many students came to just look or figure out what they wanted to do. For example, one student had no idea what he wanted to do but enjoyed sports. We discussed a potential career in sports dietetics. These kinds of conversations helped students identify their options.