Academy Foundation Blog

Christina Yang, NDTR - 2022 Frances E. Fischer Memorial Scholarship Recipient

By Foundation Admin posted 11-11-2022 08:00 AM

  

Christina Yang, NDTR

2022 Frances E. Fischer Memorial Scholarship

Completing a Concurrent Graduate Program and Dietetic Internship at The University of Alabama and Morrison Healthcare

“With my parents being immigrants from southeast asia, I’m amongst the first few within my family earn a college education. Through language barriers, financial burdens, and lack of knowledge on the background and foundations of academic systems, oftentimes there are cyclical barriers that make this step difficult within immigrant communities, and I find myself having to be the trailblazer for my family. Regardless, my passion for nutrition and support from my family inspires my academic endeavors as I continue to pursue higher education. This scholarship will fund my professional development as I understand how nutritional guidance can serve chronically ill members of the community through prevention and management. I aspire to serve as a medium to underserved members of my background who often show hesitancy to health care providers and are often more prone to having nutrition knowledge deficit. My pursuit of higher education is not only a means of self enrichment but a way to break the barriers of the past and bridge communities to a more nutritionally minded way of living.”

How did you learn about the availability of the Foundation scholarship that you received?

One of the greatest things about pursuing professional development opportunities is networking and building connections with professionals within the field. Within my experience I was fortunate enough to study under other registered dietitians and ask about their academic journey and challenges they faced along their path. With their knowledge I was able to better understand different opportunities for this profession and common obstacles. Thanks to their guidance, I was also referred to different potential programs and resources that would help me on my journey.

What motivated you to apply for a Foundation Scholarship?

There is a high need for the work of dietitians in promoting health and wellness through nutrition, as proven by one example in the rise of diabetes. Unfortunately, even if there's a demand waiting to be fulfilled within the industry, there still remains economic dilemmas that make pursuing higher education weighted with financial costs and burdens, making education less feasible as an option. The Foundation’s assistance will help fund my academic pursuits and living conditions as it will alleviate some of the burdens of finances throughout my academic career. The Foundation’s assistance is an investment into creating better leaders, professionals, and passionate members to contribute and serve society.

How will the scholarship funds help support your continued success within your educational program?

The financial alleviation will definitely keep me engaged and motivated to work instead of worrying about things like bills and groceries. The quality of one’s work in regards to education and job opportunities oftentimes is weighed by a student’s mental space and attitude. With my internship program I have to adjust to a clinical and food service environment that demands full attention to detail. With financial alleviation I can focus solely on my skill and professional development, to make me a diligent future dietitian. This grant opportunity motivates me because the financial support shows that the Foundation is interested in expanding the practice of dietetics to different socioeconomic backgrounds.

What advice do you have for your colleagues about seeking out and applying for Foundation funding opportunities?

Think about this early on in your undergrad because including leadership experience in your application can help establish you as a more prospective candidate. Making sure you keep a log of your experiences and projects you do as you go along will be helpful. Create good relationships with all dietitians and professionals you come across and seek for advice on different opportunities to contribute to the field. This will help you seek an area of interest to better prepare as a qualifying applicant for specific scholarships available.

Scholarship and Award Application and Timeline Information

All applications and timelines for Foundation funding opportunities are made available electronically within the Foundation’s application portal. Generally, the scholarship applications are available from mid- February to mid-April, most award and grant applications are available from December to February, and fellowship opportunities are posted as they become available.

To ensure you receive all of our Foundation news and announcements, including scholarship, award and grant announcements, subscribe to our Foundation’s weekly Kids Eat Right Monday Message and Foundation News.

With Your Help, We Can Do Even More

Our Foundation is the only charitable organization dedicated exclusively to supporting nutrition and dietetics professionals by empowering them to help consumers live healthier lifestyles. Our Foundation does not receive any portion of member dues and is funded solely by donations. Please consider making a gift today to support our Make It a Million Scholarship Campaign that will help us to award one million dollars in scholarships annually to Academy members, students and dietetic interns at all levels of study.

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