Sam I Am
Pursuing a career in nutrition has been a goal of mine since my senior year of high school, when I decided to teach myself how to cook healthy meals in preparations for going off to college. After high school, I wanted to sharpen my cooking skills even further, so I obtained my Associates degree in culinary arts from Le Cordon Bleu in Mendota Heights, MN. Upon finishing my degree, I accepted an externship at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. This led to a full-time position as a cook 1 at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort.
I spent the next few years learning the ropes of the kitchen. I became a trainer, learned how to work every station, and had the opportunity to be part of an opening team for a new restaurant. After I got some job experience under my belt, I decided to return to school to pursue dietetics, and officially begin my journey to become a Registered Dietitian.
I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida, and accepted an internship through Andrew’s University in Michigan. I completed my food service, community, and clinical rotations in the Central Florida area. Now at the conclusion of my internship, I couldn’t be more excited about using the skills I’ve obtained thus far to help others with their nutrition goals.
Supervised Practice
Dietetic Internship - August 2020 to April 2021
Andrew's University - Berrien Springs, MI
Clinical
Advent Health Waterman
Taveres, FL
Evaluating patients who are at risk for malnutrition and conduct NFPEs
Providing inpatient educations on a variety of nutrition topics including low sodium, consistent carbohydrate, renal, and heart healthy
Assessing patients with various medical conditions such as renal, cardiac, ICU, GI, cancer, and pressure injuries
Calculate nutrition requirements for patients based on the individual’s physical and metabolic needs
Providing nutrition recommendations for enteral and parenteral nutrition as well as PO diets
Participate in multidisciplinary rounds in the ICU and provided input on best nutritional care for patients
Co-taught an outpatient group diabetes class
Food Service
Advent Health Waterman
Taveres, FL
Participated in the preparation of food for the tray-line and cafeteria using standardized recipes
Conducted quality checks of food products including checking for labels, discarding expired products, and taking temperatures
Developed a mock 7-day menu for the hospital suitable for general healthful, heart healthy, consistent carbohydrate, and ground diets, which included vegetarian options each day
Organized and executed a themed meal to serve in the hospital cafeteria
Conducted and presented a performance improvement project aimed at improving temperatures of hot food upon delivery to patient rooms
Community & Wellness
WIC
(no patient contact due to COVID-19 restrictions)
Create educational handouts on vegetarian nutrition during pregnancy
Shadow nutritionists as they assessed different clientele for nutrition risks
Hebni Nutrition Consultants Inc
Design a mock community project to help an underserved community get access to nutritional information and fresh produce
Kelly Jones Nutrition
Wrote a blog post centered around student athlete nutrition and easy dorm room meals
Shot and edited a video on how to cook tofu and tempeh
Work Experience
Server Assistant
Walt Disney World Resort
Orlando, FL
Oct 2015 -
Assist servers, bartenders, and cooks with work-related tasks to best serve restaurant guests
Quality check food for accuracy of preparedness and meets guest’s special dietary requests
Cook 1
Walt Disney World Resort
Orlando, FL
May 2012 - Oct 2015
Worked all stations including grill, sauté, ovens, and pantry
Expedited busy dinner services
Trained new employees on all stations
Prepared special items to accommodate guests with food allergies and dietary restrictions
Education
Bachelor's of Science: Dietetics
University of Florida
Orlando, FL
May 2020
Associate of Applied Science: Culinary Arts
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts
Mendota Heights, MN
May 2012
Final Thoughts
Short Term Goals
Take and pass the RD exam within 4 months of completing my internship
Find a full-time job as an RD in a hospital or diabetes education center by the end of 2021
Become a preceptor for future RD’s within my first year of being a dietitian.
Long Term Goals
Become a Certified Diabetes Educator within the next 5 years.
Begin obtaining my Master’s Degree within the next 5-6 years.
Build a relationship with local community organizations, to provide cooking lessons to underserved populations within the next 5 years.
Hobbies/Interests
My biggest interest outside of nutrition is plants. I have 50-75 plants in my small apartment that I care for, and the collection is always expanding. I do cross stitch and embroidery, and am currently teaching myself how to sew. I run 5ks and half marathons on a regular basis, with my favorite being the Star Wars half marathon at Walt Disney World. On my days off, I love to play video games or go to the theme parks with my friends.