What are some of your responsibilities at the Institute?

My responsibilities include:

• Management of fueling station operations which include ordering of products through US Foods, overseeing inventory, restocking, food preparation, sanitation and food safety, and nutrition education with current athletes
• Assembling and shipping of supplement packages to current UFC fighters
• Performance of diagnostic tests for current UFC fighters (DEXA, RMR, and SECA) and analyzing data measurements for fighter specific weight classes
• Interaction with current UFC fighters, training partners and coaches for nutritional education purposes
• Collaboration with various staff members throughout the institute including sports scientists, athletics trainers, physical therapists, strength and conditioning coaches, sports psychologists, and administrators
• Assembling of weight cutting supplies and fight week bags for fighters
• Calculating rehydration amounts for each fighter and mixing fluids tailored specifically for post weigh-in rehydration
• Calculation of fighter specific caloric intake and macronutrient needs based on diagnostic testing results and fighter specific weight class, event date and time, and training program
• Organization of designated nutrition spaces throughout the institute, such as the culinary storage space, supplement and nutrition storage hallways, fueling station, and diagnostics/consultation room
• Unpacking and monitoring of food safety for pre-made meals, supplements, and products delivered to the UFCPI
• Assisting in fighter check-in and weight checks at the designated hotel during fight week
• Monitoring athlete weight cutting during fight week (ex: sauna supervision)
• Engaging in intern educational opportunities provided by performance dietitians each week
• Being flexible with athlete weights at fight week check in and adjusting macronutrient intake based on weight status
• Providing nutrition education to fighters, coaches, and training partners

How did your experiences volunteering and working with the UK Athletics Performance Nutrition Team prepare you for this role?

My experiences with the UK Performance Nutrition team played a significant role in preparation for this experience. The fueling station operations performed each day are solely the responsibility of the other intern and myself, so having experience with all three of the fueling stations that UK athletics offers had a very beneficial effect on me. The teamwork and collaboration side of helping out at UK nutrition was also a huge help as every day I work together with multiple different people, including the other intern who helps manage the fueling station with me. Learning skills such as independence and reliability from volunteering with Uk athletics was probably the most useful skill I acquired and currently use every single day here at the institute. It is expected that I check off every single task needed to be completed every day, and the skills I obtained from Monica and her staff have definitely helped me out a lot since arriving here.

Share a bit about your academic background and how you selected the dietetics program at the University of Kentucky.

My academic background is quite unique. I received my undergrad in Exercise Science from UNC Pembroke, where I also wrestled throughout the entire degree. I ended up finishing earlier than anticipated, so in order to be eligible for athletics my redshirt senior year I enrolled in graduate school courses for Sport Administration and started to pursue my graduate degree. Unfortunately, COVID hit and my research-based grad program switched to mostly online. I had just received IRB approval for my research but CDC guidelines and school policies would not let me have any person-to-person interaction. Luckily, my wrestling coach offered me a GA position with the team and my advisors agreed to let me substitute the research for an extensive internship of choice. I chose to stay in North Carolina to help out the performance dietitian at the time at Appalachian State University and I absolutely loved it. The following year was dedicated to work and researching the steps needed to become a dietitian. One of my advisors as well as the dietitian I worked for that summer both graduated from Kentucky and spoke very highly of the program, so I applied to UK (with some pretty good letters of recommendation, too.)