Two Oregon State Nutrition students and an OSU Dietetic intern have been named the Oregon Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2013 student award recipients.
Both of the awards, the Award of Achievement and the Outstanding Dietetic Student Award, are offered by the Oregon Academy – an affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics – to one dietetic intern and one undergraduate student.
Oregon State Dietetic intern Julie Thomas and Nutrition student Danielle McNaughton both received the Award of Achievement, and Nutrition student Nova Elwood received the Outstanding Dietetics Student Award.
The Award of Achievement recognizes leadership potential in the field of dietetics through academic success and lifetime achievements in campus and/or professional organization activities, work experience, and personal integrity and character.
The Outstanding Dietetic Student Award recognizes the emerging leadership and achievement of students in ACEND-accredited dietetics education programs and is intended to encourage their participation in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
“The Nutrition faculty members are proud of our award recipients,” says Associate Professor Mary Cluskey. “The curriculum as a dietetics student or an intern is demanding. Receiving an award recognizes that they have worked hard to be academically successful and that they show leadership through volunteering in the community and supporting endeavors of the college, as well as within student and other professional groups.”
Award recipient bios from the Oregon Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website:
Julie Thomas
Oregon State University Dietetic Internship
Graduating from a graduate program at OSU with a 4.0 is an amazing feat in and of itself. With obvious strong academic standards and abilities, Julie has been awarded multiple scholarships in her past including one from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Julie has been active during her internship as a teaching assistant and student worker where she developed cooking class curriculums for the Moore Family Center at OSU. During her undergraduate years, Julie was an active garden volunteer for the Corvallis Food Bank, served as a volunteer for the Oregon Humane Society, and worked at the OSU Food Innovation Center as a sensory technician. Her teachers and mentors have described her as “articulate, bright, accountable, motivated yet unassuming and humble,” and “professional, conscientious and with great team works skills,” as well as “the kind of student who is going to lead the profession of dietetics forward.” With her self-described vision including “team-based approaches and collaboration to problem solve for nutrition advocacy,” we can’t wait to see what the future holds for Julie. Good luck!
Danielle McNaughton
Oregon State University Nutrition student
With a “strong sense of responsibility” to tackle food insecurity and to proliferate the message that healthy food improves quality of life, Danielle will continue her journey toward leadership right here in Oregon next year at the OSU dietetic internship. With a perfect 4.0 at Oregon State University and graduating this year from the DPD program, Danielle has somehow made time for many volunteer experiences these past few years including leadership roles in the OSU Nutrition and Dietetics club, program development with Healthy Campus Initiatives, and as a nutrition educator for the Jackson Street Youth Shelter. Her active involvement in community service, touted leadership skills from references and outstanding academic achievements make her an obvious choice for this award. We look forward to Danielle’s accomplishments in the field of nutrition in the years to come. Congratulations!
Nova Elwood
Oregon State University Nutrition student
As an honors student and scholarship recipient from many sources including the Health and Human Performance Scholarship, the Oregon Extension Trindle Scholarship and the Minnie Price Scholarship to name a few, Nova shows a breadth of experiences significant for a junior at Oregon State University. Nova is currently active as the board secretary in the OSU Nutrition and Dietetics Club and appears passionate about volunteering her time with the underprivileged, noting her volunteer experiences with the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence and the OSU Extension Services assisting economically disadvantaged groups delivering nutrition education programs. Other experiences Nova has been involved in as an educator include Girls on the Run, Nursing Mothers Counsel of Oregon and the Salt Lake Valley Health Department as a breastfeeding peer counselor. Her mentors and volunteer leaders have described her as “an amazing volunteer,” and with “proven strong leadership skills and confidence,” all while balancing her other full-time job as a mother of three children. It seems as though there is nothing Nova can’t do. We can’t wait to see her emerging leadership in the field of dietetics over the years.