University of North Dakota

 

Week #8

 

I never thought eight weeks could fly by so fast! This last week was busy because I was trying to tie a pretty bow around the big projects I have been working on throughout the summer which included menu development and MyPlate Monday education program.  Rather than talk more about these programs since this will be my last blog here I am going to take the liberty to focus on my general experience of this internship program.

There were three overarching items I learned this summer. Now be warned that these don’t involve any of the nitty gritty stuff with nutrition, menus, FoodPro (although I surprisingly enjoy working this program), teaching, and just the overall workings of the dining industry.

1.       The industry involved in University dining is huge! I mean food comes from farms and can pass through so many different people before it makes it to a customer’s plate. I loved meeting and talking with the merchandisers, distributors, and brokers, who are just a few of the people that are instrumental in getting the food safely to the dining center. 

2.       My future as a dietitian is so exciting!!! I mean I have spent three years studying this field and it is always reassuring when I actually enjoy the career opportunities that my field has to offer. That way my education and money isn’t going to be wasted! The possibilities of career opportunities are pretty much endless. This is both annoying because it means more big decisions, and fun, because my career field is so diverse and I love it.

3.       The people of North Dakota are so amazing. I mean it can be kind of scary showing up in a random town for a couple of months. But the people here were so welcoming and I definitely made some good friends. I also just want to give a shout out to my amazing supervisor, Dustin, and all of the wonderful people I worked with this summer. The University of North Dakota runs a top notch dining services program thanks to all these amazingly talented people.

So I will miss the great city of Grand Forks and will definitely look back on this experience with a smile for years to come. I hope all of you have had as great of an experience as I have and I wish you luck in finishing your internships!