San Francisco State University Dietetic Internship Class of 2019-2020

Haylee Atkinson graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 2019 with a B.S. in Dietetics. Prior to the internship, she worked as a dietary technician at Provo Canyon School, a residential treatment center for youth with mental health conditions. She has also volunteered at Meals on Wheels, the Utah County food bank, and has held leadership positions in the Student Dietetic Association. As a dietitian someday, she hopes to work with clients with mental health and substance abuse. Throughout her work experience, she recognized a need for better understanding of the nutritional components of mental health, and she hopes to help bridge the gap between conventional addiction therapy and holistic nutritional therapy. Outside of the internship, she loves to sew and design clothes, watch medical documentaries, and explore new shops and restaurants in the city.

Tiffany Banh graduated from UC Davis in 2018 with a B.S. in Clinical Nutrition. During her undergraduate, she worked as a diet aide at a local hospital and research assistant focusing on women’s health and maternal and child nutrition. Prior to the internship, she worked as a diet clerk at Sutter Roseville Medical Center, interned at the CA Department of Public Health WIC office, and volunteered at various non-profit nutrition organizations in Sacramento county. After the internship, Tiffany hopes to work as a clinical dietitian and eventually specialize in critical care. As a dietitian, she hopes to improve the connection between culture and nutrition by supporting patients to continue eating their favorite foods and implementing more cultural foods into the hospital system. In her free time, she enjoys going to music festivals, trying new restaurants, cooking, and weight lifting.

Jemimah Chan graduated in 2017 from UC Davis with a B.S. in Clinical Nutrition. Prior to the internship, she worked at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital as a diet assistant. Chan gained valuable experience in patient services as a call center operator, auditing test trays, and conducting patient rounds. Later, as a human milk technician, she was trained to fortify breast-milk and prepare feeds for sick infants. With a passion for maternal and infant health, Chan plans to become a certified lactation consultant. Through the internship she also hopes to gain experience in health/wellness management, clinical nutrition, and nutrition counseling. Multilingual in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, she believes in making nutrition education accessible to Asian immigrant communities in a culturally competent way. In her spare time, Chan enjoys being with close family/friends, catching up with her favorite TV shows, baking, exercise, and escape rooms!

Kristina Cox graduated from California State University, Chico in May 2018 with a BS in Dietetics and Community Nutrition. Throughout college, she excelled in many nutrition-related jobs. Kristina worked as a dietary aide at Chico Creek Care and Rehab Center and as a Community Nutrition Assistant at the Center for Healthy Communities. Following graduation, Kristina worked as a Nutrition Assistant at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, California. Kristina is passionate about spending her free time with friends, enjoying the outdoors, and traveling the world. She enjoys exploring the city of San Francisco and eating the authentic, international food that it has to offer. After Kristina completes her dietetic internship, she hopes to work as a clinical dietitian and continue living in the city.

Ian Frazier graduated Summa Cum Laude from San Francisco State University in 2019 with a BS in Dietetics. He also has a BS in Business Management from Sonoma State University. Ian was employed in the banking industry for twelve years in various management positions before deciding to pursue a dietetics degree. As a Dietetic student, he volunteered at Healthy Steps Therapeutic Lifestyle Center, sitting in on patient appointments with RDs, and at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital in the food services department. Ian was part of a five-member team from SFSU that worked with an international company, Barilla, and the Sugar Network to create a new food product through a design thinking process. He is the president of the St. Rose School Dads Club and member of Active 20-30 Club of Healdsburg, both non-profits giving back to the youth within the community. After completing his internship, Ian hopes to work as a Clinical Dietitian at a large hospital as well as become a Certified Diabetes Educator. He is also interested in sports nutrition. In his spare time, he enjoys hitting the gym, watching and playing sports, and taking his wife and two kids on adventures.

Alicia Ma graduated Magna Cum Laude from San Francisco State University in 2019 with a B.S. in Dietetics and a minor in Health Education. She speaks conversational Chinese (Cantonese) and English. Before the internship, Alicia helped at her father's Chinese restaurant for several years. She volunteered at St. Mary's Medical Center in the nutrition department, and worked at Wholefoods Market as a Prepared Foods Team Member. Alicia was also active as the Newsletter Editor and co-leader of the EDucate subcommittee of her student nutrition association during her senior year. She is interested in working in the area of diabetes care, school nutrition, oncology, or public health.

Chloe Morrill graduated from San Francisco State University in 2019 with a B.S. in Dietetics. Prior to the internship she worked as a diet clerk at Mills Peninsula Medical Center and had years of foodservice experience in restaurants. In addition to working, she also volunteered at St. Mary's Medical Center for Cooking Matters, a program that teaches the community about nutrition, health, and cooking. Chloe has various interests in the Dietetics field but aspires to work in a clinical setting, specifically in outpatient care, diabetes education, or the neonatal unit. When Chloe has free time, she enjoys spending time with her loved ones, going to concerts, hula hooping, and going to the beach.

Jieyu(Jade)Niu graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2019 with a B.S. in Clinical Nutrition. During her time at Davis, she worked as an intern in the Burn Unit at UC Davis Medical Center. She also interned at CommuniCare Health Centers, where she worked under the supervision of a registered dietitian on prenatal nutrition care. Jade is fluent in Mandarin. She becomes interested in working with the Chinese American population while she was doing her internship at the CommuniCare Health Centers, which had many Chinese patients. She would like to use her knowledge of Chinese culture and Chinese cuisines to help the Chinese American population make positive and healthy changes with their own cultural foods. Jade hopes to work as a clinical dietitian after the internship, and she is especially interested in oncology, cardiology, pediatric and prenatal care. Outside of dietetics, she enjoys baking, rock climbing and traveling.

Bernardo Ortega recently graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Clinical Nutrition. He is interested in Maternal and Child Nutrition, Diabetes Management, Renal Care, and Community Nutrition and hopes to work as a clinician at a community clinic or hospital as a CDE or renal specialist. Bernardo interned and volunteered at the UCDMC Burn Unit as well as with CommuniCare Health Clinics around Yolo County. These experiences helped him solidify his interest in becoming an RD. He hopes that his language skills (Spanish and ASL) will help break down language barriers so he can better communicate with and aid his future patients. He is passionate about supporting the community and helping youth. He previously helped run an onsite food bank at an Afterschool Program within Solano County, where alongside students, he created delicious nutrient-rich dishes using food bank food. He currently holds a position as a Board Member with Solano Pride Center, and hopes to continue to help and aid individuals within the LGBTQ+ community.

Charles Quintal graduated Magna Cum Laude from California State University, Fresno in 2019 with a B.S. in Food and Nutritional Science. Prior to the internship, he worked as a Dietary Aide for Community Regional Medical Centers, Fresno and as a diet clerk in a long-term care facility. In addition to his work experience, he volunteered with various clubs/organizations such as the “Diabetes Coalition” and “Health on Wheels”, providing basic nutrition education. After the internship, Charles hopes to become a clinical dietitian with an emphasis in renal nutrition. During his spare time, he enjoys going to the gym, hiking and exploring the different food cultures in San Francisco.

Chelsea Rexrode is a North Bay native and 2019 Summa Cum Laude graduate from Cal Poly with a B.S. in Applied Nutrition. While at Cal Poly, she stayed extremely busy working at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center as a diet aide, serving as the president of the Cal Poly Nutrition Club, acting as the student liaison for the Coastal Tri-Counties Dietetic Association, and assisting with ReCHARGE!, a research study investigating strawberries’ effects on cardiovascular and gut microbiome health, as an undergraduate research assistant. Once she passes her RD exam, she wants to work as a clinical dietitian and eventually earn her CNSC certification. Chelsea takes advantage of any free time through running, hiking, walking dogs, and soaking up the sun. You can visit her dietetics e-portfolio here: chelsrexrode.wixsite.com/mysite.

Lauren Williams graduated Magna Cum Laude from San Francisco State University in 2019 with a B.S in Dietetics. During her undergraduate degree, she volunteered at the San Francisco VA hospital in nutritional services. Lauren also volunteered in dialysis with a renal dietitian, which ultimately sparked her clinical interest. After completing the internship, Lauren wants to use her previous experience as an athlete to concentrate on sports nutrition and become a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD). Her other nutritional interests include preventative care, eating disorders and childhood nutrition. She believes that improving health through food is congruent with a person’s mental and physical wellbeing, which is why functional nutrition is a special interest of hers. Outside of school, Lauren has a passion for baking, exercise, and animals!

Angela Yue graduated Cum Laude from Cal Poly, SLO in 2019 with a B.S. in Nutrition with a concentration in Applied Nutrition. During her undergraduate degree, she worked as a program coordinator for CalFresh Outreach, a food service assistant at the ASI Children's Center, and a prep cook at Bearskin Meadow Camp. Additionally, she spent two years on the board of Cal Poly's Nutrition Club (as food coordinator and secretary) and volunteered in the food service department at the San Luis Coastal United School District. After the internship Angela hopes to work as a clinical dietitian. Her current interests include maternal and child nutrition, renal nutrition, and food insecurity. Outside of the internship she enjoys reading, cooking, and exploring new places.

Julian Zook graduated from the University of California, Davis, in the Spring of 2018 with a B.S. in Clinical Nutrition. While at UC Davis, he spent time as a research assistant for the Center for Nutrition in Schools where he co-authored a food literacy curriculum for high school students, conducted nutrition education for elementary school students, and assisted in nutrition care at the UC Davis Medical Center Burn ICU. Upon graduating, he worked as a program coordinator for the Yolo Food Bank, where he managed food distribution sites around the county aimed at alleviating food insecurity and improving community health. He hopes to practice as a Clinical Dietitian, working closely with patients on preventing and managing chronic disease states through nutrition. When he isn’t working, he thoroughly enjoys surfing, music, bicycling, good coffee, and cooking with friends. He looks forward to using his acquired skills and passion for preventive care to benefit the lives of patients and the community as a whole.