Nicole Burdock

Nicole Burdock is a 2020 graduate from California State University, Sacramento, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Food with an emphasis in Dietetics. She discovered her passion for the field of dietetics working at Sacramento-area farmer's markets during high school. Surrounded by nutritious foods and health-promoting behaviors, Nicole became drawn to the connection between lifestyle modification and chronic disease prevention. Her goal is to become a Pediatric Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, working to ensure healthy behaviors are established early and maintained throughout one’s lifetime. Upbeat and extroverted, she is eager to work within the clinical setting, helping others and emphasizing individualized preventive care. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Nicole also made it a priority to accumulate a variety of work experience relevant to the field of dietetics. As a Student Manager for the CSUS Health Center, she was actively engaged in comprehensive wellness promotion directed at her campus community. She worked closely with CSUS campus registered dietitian, addressing food insecurity, providing nutrition education to first-year freshman students, practicing nutrition counseling, and facilitating cooking demonstrations. Additionally, Nicole volunteered with Sutter Sacramento’s Surgical Acute and Bariatric Unit, CSUS CalFresh, Sacramento CDPH WIC, Robla School District’s Food and Nutrition Services department, the Sacramento Co-op Community Kitchen, local food banks, and assisted her Dietetics Professors with work outside of the classroom. When she isn’t focusing on her Dietetics pathway, Nicole keeps busy with her many interests. She loves cooking, playing guitar, hiking, swimming, ice hockey, and spending quality time with her family and friends. She is very excited for the opportunities and experiences that will be offered through the CSUS Dietetic Internship, bringing her one step closer to achieving her goal of becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

California State University, Sacramento Dietetic Interns 2020-2021

Mie Elliessy

Mie Elliessy graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science with a Concentration in Dietetics. During her time in San Jose, Mie was heavily involved on campus and in her community. Some of her experience includes: serving as a nutrition specialty Certified Peer Health Educator, Department of Nutrition representative for the College of Health and Human Sciences, nutrition and cooking volunteer for a local nonprofit organization, nursing home dietary aide, clinical nutrition volunteer with Stanford Medical Center, and Sports Nutrition Intern with Stanford University Athletics. She also has years of foodservice experience working in restaurants and stadiums across the Bay Area. Mie aspires to explore more of her interests during her time as an intern with pediatrics, diabetes education, nutrition education for childhood obesity prevention, sports nutrition, corporate wellness, nutrition entrepreneurship, and health promotion for underrepresented minorities coming from low-socioeconomic and urban backgrounds. During her free time, Mie enjoys traveling, biking, cooking, photography, dancing, and spending time with friends and family.

Viviana Gonzales

Viviana Gonzales received her bachelor’s in Family and Consumer science (Nutrition and Food) with concentration in Dietetics from at Sacramento State, graduating this past Spring ‘20. During her time as a Hornet, Viviana was involved in different clubs and organizations on campus. She had the privilege to serve her fellow Hornet community by running the campus food pantry giving out more than 1,000 pounds of food each week. She held leadership positions for the on-campus Food and Nutrition club. Viviana was able to plan and execute a conference during her time as Vice President for the club. She also connected with student members who were interested in her path as a dietetics student at Sac State. Viviana was able to help students as a Peer Health Educator for the Student Health and Counseling Services program on campus. She met one on one with students and guided them on healthy lifestyle changes. She also had the opportunity to facilitate cooking demos to help other students learn easy cooking preparation methods that could be incorporated during their time as a student. Viviana also had the opportunity to help the Sacramento community by working as a Family Guest Associate for Ronald McDonald House Charities, Northern California (RMHCNC) in which she helped support families who had a child undergoing medical treatment in one of Sacramento’s Children’s hospitals. As a first-time mom herself, Viviana has been able to have a personal connection with each family she comes into contact with at RMHCNC. Her passion for helping people started at very young age but her love for nutrition didn’t start until she was in undergrad. Becoming an RDN would allow her to combine both interests to create a positive change in someone’s life. Viviana is excited to start the next step to become a Registered Dietitian.

Lisa Kok

Lisa Kok grew up in Sacramento, California and moved to Los Angeles to complete her bachelor’s degree at Azusa Pacific University (APU). While attending Azusa Pacific, Lisa participated in a humanities focused “study abroad” program in Yosemite, CA which fostered her love for the social sciences as well as the outdoors. Lisa completed a bachelor’s degree in sociology while also working as a tutor for Azusa Reads, Writes, Counts, a free tutoring service provided by APU for elementary age children in the local community.

After graduating cum laude from APU in 2016, Lisa returned to Sacramento to pursue her dream of becoming a dietitian. She began volunteering at Marshall Medical’s Diabetes and Nutrition Education Center and completing the prerequisite courses required to attend a master’s program in nutrition. Lisa also worked as an academic mentor for Tutoring Rocks, tutoring high school students in chemistry, biology, and algebra. She loves working with high school students and feels this experience combined with her background in social science to help cultivate her interest in working in eating disorder treatment and recovery.

In 2018 Lisa moved to Seattle, Washington to complete the Masters in Nutrition / Didactic Program in Dietetics at Bastyr University, which aligned her interest in integrative and functional medicine and her belief that food is medicine. Throughout her program Lisa worked as a Teacher’s Assistant at Bastyr, a Provider Service Admin for a naturopathic doctor’s clinic, and a diet aide for Bayview Retirement Center. Additionally, she volunteered as a Meal Planning Intern for Hunger Intervention Program to create balanced monthly menus for the local senior community. Bastyr also allowed Lisa to practice nutrition counseling as a student clinician in Bastyr’s Center for Natural Health. She is excited to be back in Sacramento, working toward her dream of becoming a registered dietitian.

Shannon Mai

Shannon Mai is a proud Gator Alum from the University of Florida. Although she began her college career in accounting at the University of Central Florida, her focus soon shifted after learning about dietetics at a tea shop. The barista shared with Shannon that she was studying dietetics, after engaging in deep conversation about the physiological effects of milk powder. Intrigued, Shannon went home to learn about the rippling effects she could have in becoming a dietitian: learning sound nutrition research and educating the public on its importance in daily life as a way of disease prevention. Shortly after, Shannon switched her major to health sciences and began finding opportunities in her hometown, Orlando, to immerse herself in dietetics. While taking health science classes, she worked as a healthcare hostess at a hospital and as a peer advocate at UCF, where she promoted healthy eating and created recipe cards for students. After two years of transitioning, she was accepted into UF’s DPD program in 2018. It was there that she saw that her true passion was in nutrition policy. In conjunction with a passion for policy, Shannon saw the importance of having a variety of dietetic experiences on hand, and quickly sought out new experiences for professional growth in Gainesville. She became a nutrition services volunteer at Shands Hospital and got involved with the department as the representative between the College and the Food Science and Human Nutrition Club. Later, she went on to become President of the FSHN Club, while interning for the local congressman’s office, assisting with the metabolic dietitians of UF Health, and doing research for the Nutrition Education Behaviors Lab at UF. Shannon’s ultimate goal is to make a difference by altering nutrition policy, as a dietitian and lawyer, to benefit consumer safety and public health.

Nneka Omekam

Nneka Omekam earned her Master of Arts Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at California State University, Sacramento. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science Degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with a minor in Biological Sciences also from California State University, Sacramento the Summer of 2018. Nneka wants to gain experience as a Registered Dietitian working in policy and clinical settings to make the necessary changes that will meet the needs of current and future nutrition and dietetics professionals. With the hope of educating and assisting individuals in health and nutrition, Nneka’s end goal is to become a Director of a Dietetic Internship program so she can mentor and guide students from disadvantaged backgrounds by helping them find their purpose in the field of nutrition and dietetics. The California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics awarded Nneka the Outstanding Student-Didactic Program in Dietetics Award at the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Annual Conference in May 2018. She has gained experience communicating the importance of Nutrition to the Sacramento community and wants to continue being an advocate for healthier lifestyles through nutrition education.

Paula Ramirez

Paula Ramirez graduated Magna Cum Laude from California State University, Sacramento in 2018 with a B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences (Food and Nutrition) with an emphasis in Dietetics and a minor in Biological Sciences. While completing her degree, she volunteered for the Sacramento County Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program. After 6 months of volunteering, she had the honor to accept a job and became a Certified WIC Nutrition Assistant (WNA). As a WNA for two years, she developed a variety of skills by conducting nutrition education group classes, one-on-one nutrition counseling with diverse participants and by interpreting high-risk appointments in Spanish for dietitians. She learned so much about breastfeeding, maternal, infant and childhood nutrition. Paula grew up in a community where access to nutrition/nutrition education was limited and experienced how it can affect quality of life. She believes that nutrition is key to optimal health and nutrition education should be accessible to everyone, including underserved communities. She hopes that her Spanish-speaking skills will help break language barriers to better help her future patients. Although she envisions herself working in the community as a dietitian, she has various interests in the field of dietetics, including pediatric nutrition, outpatient care to prevent and manage chronic diseases, and sports nutrition. She is excited to explore the endless opportunities that will be provided during the dietetic internship. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her boyfriend and family, weightlifting, hiking, watching the newest movies in theatres and going to Disneyland. One day she would love to travel the world to explore different cultures and foods. As a Sacramento State Alumna, Paula is beyond grateful for the opportunity to return as a dietetic intern and become a Registered Dietitian.

Elana Schulman

Elana graduated from UC Davis in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nutrition. She began her pursuit of a career in dietetics with the desire to integrate her passions for nutrition, service, and design in the fields of public health and community nutrition. Throughout her time at Davis, she took a variety of opportunities to learn about the needs of her community and how to effectively conduct wellness promotion. Elana worked as a student assistant with the UC Davis Staff and Faculty Health and Well-being program, where she advertised and assisted with various wellness programs for the UC Davis community. As she advanced in her dietetics education, she began contributing content to educational nutrition campaigns offered through the program. Elana also worked as a student researcher on a UC-wide project investigating strategies for encouraging able individuals to increase their activity levels by taking the stairs rather than the elevator. She collaborated with campus leaders to track stairwell traffic and develop inclusive signage promoting stairwell usage. Elana also participated in a food literacy outreach program testing the efficacy of a newly developed curriculum designed to provide fundamental nutrition education to low-income high school students. While engaging with her community through these and other experiences, Elana observed various obstacles that individuals face while striving for health. She came to further appreciate the importance of cultivating inclusive wellness. Elana intends to work within communities to break down individual and systematic barriers to accessing and choosing nutritious food throughout her career in dietetics. In her free time, she enjoys immersing herself in the outdoors and spending time with friends and family. She also takes every opportunity to get creative with projects including graphic design, drawing, painting, and making costumes, which have included a lamp and whole wheat pasta.

Casey Whitmore

Casey graduated cum laude from California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Consumer Sciences (Nutrition and Food) with an emphasis in Dietetics in 2020. While at Sac State, he served as Treasurer and President of the Food & Nutrition Club. The club hosted food forums, nutrition jamborees, guest lecturers, and fundraisers, and provided students with volunteer options and campus resources.

To obtain useful experience, Casey volunteered at a variety of placements such as Shriners Hospital, Sutter Medical Center Sacramento, and Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. Casey volunteered as a community health educator at the Sacramento Food Bank, where he co-taught nutrition classes to low-income individuals on topics of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. At Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento Casey learned the importance of foodservice and its effects on patient healing by taking patient meal preferences, checking tray line temperatures, and checking meal trays for accuracy. Currently, Casey works at Sutter Medical Center Sacramento, as a Diet Clerk working with a variety of populations. This flexible position allows him to serve as a nutrition resource to patients, physicians, and nurses. Overall, his experiences throughout the community and clinical setting have helped him pursue a dietetic internship at Sac State, where he will continue his passion for nutrition.

On a personal note, Casey and his fiancé, Zowee, adopted a golden retriever puppy named Maggie in early April. Casey enjoys anything outdoors and the company of friends and family. Casey grew up in Cottonwood, CA, a tiny town where he and his family often went to Shasta Lake to cool off. After completing his internship and passing the RD exam, Casey would like to work as a clinical dietitian in acute care while pursuing his Masters in Public Health.