The Student Nutrition Organization (SNO) at San Diego State University (SDSU) held their Annual Dinner Gala & Silent Auction recently and raised a generous donation for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and its Make It a Million Scholarship Campaign.
San Diego State University SNO members are passionate about supporting efforts in food and nutrition locally and nationally. The Gala raised funds to help fight against food insecurity in San Diego and foster scholarships for young future dietitians through our Make It a Million Campaign.
As the night progressed, attendees enjoyed dinner and listened to presentations from guest speakers, including past Academy Foundation board member, Carl Barnes, MS, RD, who gave a passionate update on the Academy Foundation’s work. Later, Dr. Iana Castro and Sam Pantazopoulos shared how Brightside Produce and Vizer works in San Diego to help reduce food insecurity locally. Lastly, keynote speaker, Dr. Guadalupe X. Ayala presented on how to improve healthy food access for all and how we SNO members can play a role.
With the combination of a silent auction, ticket sales, and generous donations, SNO raised a total of $11,339 with $2,517 designated for the Make It a Million Scholarship Campaign. SDSU Student Nutrition Organization President Iveth Lagunas shared why it was important for them to include the Academy Foundation in their fundraising efforts, “it was important to support the Make it Million Scholarship Campaign at this event because starting in 2024, future dietitians must obtain a graduate degree and complete a dietetic internship in order to sit for the RD exam. The cost of education is something not many can afford. For this reason, we wanted to support this campaign as it can assist students like me through their journey to becoming a registered dietitian.”
A special thanks to the SDSU Student Nutrition Organization Gala Committee:
Sydney DiGrazia
Iveth Lagunas
Nick Portoni
Paige Sullivan
Yesenia Ceja
Rachel Lee
Parker Contreras
Camille Pino
Mariafernanda Segovia
Jade Martinez
#FoundationNews