The personal statement should address the following issues (limit to 2-3 pages with no specific formatting): 1. What is your interest in public health, and how do you think you will use the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in your future career? 2. What are your career goals? That is, what kind of work inspires you including the types of activities you hope to undertake in your career? 3. Tell us about your experiences (paid or unpaid) that form your thinking about nutrition as a career.

The personal statement should address the following issues (limit to 2-3 pages with no specific formatting): 1. What is your interest in public health, and how do you think you will use the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in your future career? 2. What are your career goals? That is, what kind of work inspires you including the types of activities you hope to undertake in your career? 3. Tell us about your experiences (paid or unpaid) that form your thinking about nutrition as a career. My interest in nutrition began at a young age, when instead of eating Oreos for my afternoon snack, I preferred to eat vegetables. However, nutrition as it relates to health first became significant to me when I was diagnosed with food allergies and began researching about how to maintain proper nutrition while meeting my dietary restrictions, as well as how to prepare nourishing meals for myself. It was around this time that I attended BODIES, The Exhibition, which sparked my interest in human physiology and the adverse effects that disease and poor nutrition can have on the body. From the exhibition, I learned that roughly half of all American adults have one or more preventable chronic diseases, of which several are related to poor diet, and a growing number experience at least one food allergy. Through these experiences, my early interest in nutrition quickly evolved into a commitment to help others learn about the value of healthful choices in our overall wellbeing and to contribute to the improvement of available community food options. The Master of Public Health program at the University of North Carolina with a concentration in Nutrition will prepare me to achieve my professional aspirations to improve community education and practices surrounding food, diet, and health through developing and improving health policies. As a first year student at the University of Connecticut, I began working in my own community to support GROW Windham, a non-profit organization which focuses on promoting access to healthy food through community food projects, community gardens, and youth programs in public schools.