Details
Dietitian, Spring Independent School District
Houston,
Age: 26
Education: B.S. in food and nutrition from Texas State University in San Marcos
Years at organization: 2
Why Selected?
Melanie Konarik, director of child nutrition, says: Chelsea has done so much in a short period. She will be a great asset to the program for years, and I can see she will be an innovator for change. We are installing electronic menu boards and Chelsea is responsible for the content. She’s working with the menu board company and she visits the schools to examine the serving lines to ensure she provides accurate information.
Get to know
Passing the registered dietitian exam. It was really hard. It was my first defining moment where I had to decide if becoming a dietitian was worth it. It was.
Q. What would you say you excel at over more seasoned colleagues?I have an edge with technology. Being from a younger generation I’ve had more exposure to it.
Q. What's the best career advice you've been given?My dad told me to be careful when you’re choosing a career to make sure you pick something you absolutely love to do because you have to wake up every morning to it. I’ve done that. I love my career.
Q. What's been the biggest challenge you've had to overcome?Realizing that it’s OK that I don’t know everything about my field or how exactly I should handle every situation that comes up. I’m constantly learning.
Q. What's been your most rewarding moment?Last week I got a thank-you note from a high school student who had interviewed me for a project on childhood obesity. Seeing that I had reached a student and helped educate her about nutrition was pretty amazing.
Q. What would you like to accomplish in your career in the next two years?I would like to get more involved in the political aspect of the school lunch program. The policy that government officials come up with affect our everyday lives, and I think a lot of times they don’t take into consideration our actual needs and limitations.
Q. What's been your funniest on-the-job disaster?One of my first days I was cooking some samples for the directors and I burned some taco meat. I didn’t just burn it; I disintegrated it. It was not edible. The whole kitchen smelled like burnt rubber. It was so embarrassing that I had to laugh at it.
Q. What can you look back at now and laugh at?All through high school and college I dreaded growing up and starting a career because I thought the fun would be over. That’s not true at all. I’ve got a career I really enjoy and I have lots of fun every day.