Meet the 2022 Scholars

"2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the AbbVie CF Scholarship. As we celebrate this milestone, we look forward to continuing to recognize more students pursing their educational goals. Please share your future ambitions in the Cystic Fibrosis community, professionally and personally."

I am a rising junior majoring in nutrition and dietetics with a minor in health and wellness. In addition to pursuing my educational goals, I am actively involved in several volunteer opportunities, leadership roles, and extracurricular activities. I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age three, and visited a dietitian routinely as part of my care. My dietitian, along with the rest of my CF care team, provided excellent care for me; they expressed interest in my life outside of CF and constantly encouraged me to pursue as many opportunities as I could. Ultimately, their care sparked my interest in the field of nutrition. My future professional ambitions are to complete a master’s degree and other requirements to become a registered dietitian. Although I am not entirely sure which specific career path I would like to pursue within this field, I would love to work either in a clinical setting, preferably pediatrics, or in sports or performance nutrition. Wherever I am called to work, I want to serve people and show them the same high quality of care that I have been shown. In this way, I hope to pour back into the community that has supported me in all my endeavors thus far. At a more personal level, I would like to continue to share about my interest in nutrition and how I was encouraged to pursue a career in the field -- and that includes sharing more about my experience with CF. Last year, I wrote a short article about how living with CF inspired me to study nutrition; this article was published in my CF clinic’s newsletter. More recently, I started an Instagram account to share about my passion for nutrition, exercise, and other health-related topics. I have been a runner for several years, and I enjoy pushing myself to new challenges; I recently completed my first half marathon and have also discovered rock climbing as a new favorite activity. I would like to share more on this account about exercise and nutrition from a CF perspective, or possibly contribute a short article on this topic to a newsletter or blog. Ultimately, I want to do whatever I can, whether on a professional or personal level, to inspire others to pursue their interests and take advantage of each opportunity that arises. Through my career, I want to encourage my clients to gradually make changes that will benefit their health long-term. In my personal endeavors, I want to be more open about my own experiences and interests as they relate to life with CF, and discuss the ways in which my active lifestyle has influenced all aspects of my health. In pursuing both my personal and professional goals, I hope to serve as a trusted resource for those around me; someone that will always be there to listen to their concerns, care for them, and motivate them as they strive to accomplish their own goals.