Name: Belinda Hoffman

Hometown:  West Liberty, Iowa

Major(s) and Graduation Date:  Dietetics and Global Resource Systems, May 2022 

Favorite ISU class: There are too many to count! I really enjoyed most of my classes at Iowa State and had phenomenal professors. A few favorites are:

--All GLOBE classes with GRS faculty
--HSPM 391 & 392 Foodservice Management 1 and 2
--FSHN 460 Global Nutrition with Dr. Winham
--SOC 325 Transitions in Agriculture with Dr. Bain

Job Title & Company:  Food and Nutrition Educator for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach – Story County

Major Job/Position Responsibilities:  My primary role is to deliver nutrition education to individuals across Story County.  Our nutrition lessons are designed to help families cook healthy meals at home, handle food safely, and learn about various nutrition recommendations.  During the learning experiences we practice cooking, meal planning, label reading and physical activity to make healthy habits easier.  In addition to the lessons, I attend collaboration meetings and work alongside other community health advocates. 

What do you like most about your job/position?  Getting to know Story County communities through the eyes of participants and partnerships!  Working with participants who are consistently setting and working toward new goals is really rewarding.  Additionally, building relationships with local agencies and learning about all they are doing to serve our community has made me even more proud to be an Iowa resident.

What advice would you give to current students pursuing a career in Agriculture and Life Sciences? Every experience counts and helps to diversify your skill set, even if it is outside of your primary interest area.  So, try something new!  There are so many ways to use transferable skills and multi-disciplinary projects to work on post-college.