Jennifer Holt Personal Statement Draft 18 Sep 2012 My passion in childhood obesity prevention has guided me into a degree

in nutrition and dietetics. This summer I had the opportunity to intern with a research study working with families that had at least one overweight child. Diving into this situation opened my eyes to the ramifications of childhood obesity and the importance of prevention. I have a firm belief that educators play an essential role in the prevention of childhood obesity and I hope to play a major part in the solution to this epidemic. My love for the nutrition field began when I volunteered to become a Physical Fitness Leader (PTL) at Luke Air Force Base. In my most current position as a PTL at Peterson Air Force Base, I created a plan for my unit consisting of training and nutrition to prepare my co-workers for their physical fitness test. Because of my leadership as a PTL, my superintendent presented me the opportunity to become a CPR instructor. As a CPR instructor, Ive gained valuable teaching skills including assessing and correcting my students as they learn. As an intern for the Healthy Families Intervention Study, I conducted a literature review, statistical analyses of studies, a curriculum review to continue an intervention for families with at least one overweight child and served as the sole preschool educator. The curriculum was focused on fruits, vegetable, grains and the other food groups. I also monitored, recorded and analyzed the foods the children were eating to see if repeated exposure would affect their consumption. Add live well? Add Journal Club? Add presentation? Add prior daycare aid? In the next year I plan on commissioning in the Air Force as a Reservist Dietitian. My supervisor and superintendent will nominate me for the the Deserving Airman Program, a program that takes enlisted officers?? who have shown leadership and commissions them into the job the are seeking. After 8 years in the Air Force I have formed a special bond and would love to work with families and children assessing their nutritional status and helping them meet their nutritional goals. Long term I would like to work in gastroenterology with children that are on tube feeding and TPN. An RD plays a major role in ensuring these children have the best quality of life. I can find no better way to finish my career than going back to the first portal, interventions, that exposed me to childhood obesity. I want to play a major role in creating community interventions, school interventions and public policy within schools. Like everyone, I have weakness. To begin I have military mindset of rank, where your pay grade is worn on your sleeve and those with a higher pay grade need to be treated with more respect. I need to overcome this mindset so if I am in a situation that I believe a child is not receiving the correct care, I will stand up to the doctor or lead registered dietitian and let them know. My other weakness is a lack of patience for those who do not fulfill a role as expected. I aim to not just be a leader but a

manager. I want to teach people to fulfill their role in a way that I expect them to by being competent leader and manager. Looking to my superiors for advice and taking additional leadership classes with help me learn this skill. A major strength of mine is determination. I finish what I start and I finish well. My natural competitiveness drives me to finish strong. I have taken every additional task asked of me and completed it well, like the time I was twenty years old and given the task to administratively deploy my unit, or the time I was offered to extend my internship at Children Hospital and spent a week meeting with professors and the administrative assistant to ensure I could continue my work. Not only do I believe that this internship is a fit for me, I believe I am a fit for this internship. As much as I want to be placed in this position I will complete what is expected of me with drive and a positive attitude that is meant to excel.