Our 2022-2023 Eboard Members
Congratulations!
Title: Secretary
Hi my name is Catherine Espaillat :) I am a Sophomore at Florida International University
majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics. I am president of FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), and treasurer of the FIU Women's Club Volleyball team.
I love helping, making people smile and entertaining: act, sing and dance. I have been playing sports from a very young age which has allowed me to grow in becoming a responsible, disciplined person. I always try my best to apply these qualities to everything I do.
I want to apply for this position because I love what SDA does and I want to be a part of that and continue to grow and encourage people to be involved, including myself. I want to be in the circle of knowing what is going on, provide ideas and bring others along to continue learning and forming connections. I believe I will be on top of counting points, timing meetings, and being responsible for my part in the board.
Thank you,
Cat Espaillat
Title: Historian
Hello everyone !! My name is Gabriela Cabrales. I am currently a sophomore majoring in Nutritional Science pursuing a Didactic track, with a minor in Psychology. I am very excited to not only grow through experience but share this passion with all of you through photography!
My initial reason for applying is to make friends and grow connections. As cliche as that may sound, I am new to Miami and it has been very difficult to integrate myself. I live on campus, which gives me a great advantage in terms of always being available either for meetings or events. I am currently a full-time student and have noticed I have all this free time and energy that I would love to dedicate to something meaningful. An addition of happiness, a chance of self-growth, and the availability to expand my networking not only within the university but in Miami. I would love to use my creativity on social media platforms to elevate SDA to go beyond just informational meetings, by capturing great pictures that will entice more individuals to not only join, but attend meetings and be overall more involved. I believe this position will allow me to grow as an individual, allowing me to learn how to be more organized, creative and implement leadership skills into my daily life.
Title: President
My name is Linibeth, I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. I have been part of the SDA since I transferred to FIU in 2021.I have been an active member from volunteering to being part of the newsletter.I enjoy cooking, working out and reading research articles.
Why you want to apply for this position? The reasoning behind has not changed from when I applied to be VP.When I transferred,I set a goal to join the SDA e-board, not only because I want to be able to help in our organization but because I would like to add to the greatness of the SDA.I want this position because I have good leadership skills,I have the ability to make good decisions,I work well with groups and have great communication.I feel like I would add to the greatness of the SDA.Also,I know together we can work together great!
Title: Newsletter Coordinator
Victoria Fernandez
Personal and Academic bio: Born and raised in Florida, I am a 19 year old Hispanic female who is fluent in English and Spanish. I graduated from MAST@FIU high school, which focused on Marine and environmental science and had a partnership with Florida International University. I have volunteer experience at Mount Sinai Medical Center, where I assisted nurses and pharmacists in the cancer unit, as well as managed the front desk. I also have been an employee at Einstein Bros. Bagels in Weston for just about a year. I am currently a junior at Florida International University, where I am pursuing my bachelors degree in Nutrition and Dietetics.
I want to run for a leadership role because I enjoy being active in SDA and have the time and spirit to put into the club. I am passionate about nutrition and I am motivated to do my best when doing things related to this field. I like contributing ideas with other members and feel as though I can be a valuable member to the association.
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Title: Treasurer
A little about myself: My name is Imani Mckain, I’m a junior in dietetics and nutrition graduating in Summer 2023, and I got into this major because my dad taught me from a young age how important it is to eat the right food in order to live a healthy long life. Right now I’m really interested in pediatric nutrition and eating disorder counseling. I really love cooking and baking new things or recreating popular menu items at home. Everyday I’m slowly trying to get out of my comfort zone and participating in new things because life is too short to miss out on things out of fear.
Why I want this position: I would like to be the treasurer for SDA fall 2022-2022, because I am a well-organized person who writes and keeps records of important things in my life. I know how to prioritize work by most urgent and important. I am a reliable a trustworthy person who commits to my responsibilities, which is needed when it comes to handling money. I have worked as a cashier in a retail store for two years, and I often had to go to the room where the safe was kept, with a supervisor and record the amount of money we made in cash, that was in the cash registers. To ensure the accuracy of the funds I will count the money in front of one the E-board members and even use a calculator so that there are no discrepancies.
Title: Public Relations Chair
My name is Natalie Rodriguez and I am interested in applying for the public relations chair position. I am a sophomore in the Honors College and I am majoring in dietetics and nutrition. I am also interning for FIU's sports dietician. I am hard-working, resourceful, organized, as well as have a flexible schedule and time management skills. I am willing to make a commitment to the organization and help it grow and succeed. I should be selected for this position because I believe I have the proper knowledge and skillset to achieve anything that is asked of me by fellow officers. I can easily navigate through common social media platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc., as well as Canva. I have garnered these skills through my personal use and by creating my own small business through Instagram. I am also very creative and passionate about creating social media content, as well as very detail-oriented since I like to make everything as perfect as possible.
Title: Vice President
Hi, my name is Giuliana Jacob, and I first discovered my passion for nutrition in middle school, a passion which has only grown throughout the years and has led me to study Dietetics and Nutrition a major that I would not change for the world. Being able to combine my interests in food and nutrition and connecting with others who also share these interests have been some of the highlights of my time as a member in the SDA. There are so many career paths that dietetics can lead you to, and I am grateful for the SDA’s role in sparking my interest in becoming a pediatric or neonatal dietitian. I truly believe that having a strong nutritional foundation during one’s early years is key to maintaining lifelong health through a good relationship with food.
The SDA has been a wonderful source of support and information for me throughout the past couple of years. As a member and a Grocery Store Tour Coordinator I have been able to grow and learn so many things about myself and what I want for the future. Being a leader within this organization provides the opportunity to help maintain the SDA. As secretary, I hope to become a source of support for the other board members and recreate the same wonderful experience that I have had with the SDA for other members.
Title: Grocery Store Coordinator
My name is Elizabeth Pirela and I am a Nutrition major at FIU. I am interested in applying for an E-Board position at the Student Dietetic Association and I was told there is still time to apply! My position of Interest is the Grocery Store Tour Coordinator. I love that this position has room to do different things in the FIU community and spread evidence-based information about different health topics. I am someone very creative when it comes to planning activities, so I think this position is one in which I would excel and benefit the Student Dietetic Association as well as FIU students.
As mentioned, I am a nutrition major at FIU but I am also in the PreMedical track. As a PreMed, the reason why I chose nutrition as a major is that I believe nutritional education is something medical schools lack. The value of nutrition is more important than we think, and a well-balanced diet can prevent so many diseases. Moreover, I have always been interested in Nutrition, since my parents taught me to eat a healthy diet when I was young. I am also a certified personal trainer and fitness nutritionist with ISSA. Overall, the value of nutritional research and education is highly important to me.
