Maggie Davis

Maggie Davis plans to be a collegiate strength and conditioning or track coach, and clinical dietitian. When she isn’t studying, she enjoys reading, going for walks and bike rides, taking day trips with her friends, drinking coffee, and making pancakes.

Get to know Maggie

  • Major: Diet and exercise
  • Class: Junior
  • Hometown: Mount Vernon, Iowa (Linn County)
  • Career goal: Collegiate strength and conditioning or track coach, clinical dietitian
  • Clubs/activities: CHS Honors Program, women’s track and field, undergraduate research assistant
  • Awards/honors: Rookie Academic All-Big 12, Academic All-Big 12, Dean’s list fall 2017-present, Iowa State Fair College of Human Sciences 2019 Pitch Contest finalist
  • Favorite place on campus: The tables outside the Hub when it’s warm and sunny
  • Most influential ISU mentor: Anne Oldham
  • Favorite classes: FSHN 265, Nutrition for Active and Healthy Lifestyles; FSHN 360, Advanced Nutrition and Regulation of Metabolism; FSHN 214, Scientific Study of Food
  • Why Iowa State: Combined dietetics and exercise program, opportunities to build coaching connections

Maggie Davis explores interests in nutrition and activity with diet and exercise major

Growing up with her mother as a personal trainer, Maggie Davis was used to eating healthy and being active. However, it wasn’t until she reached high school that she really began asking herself the question that led her to her current major — “How can I fine tune what I do and what I eat to get the best out of my body and my lifestyle?” 

Now through studying diet and exercise at Iowa State University, Maggie is learning how to best answer that question. It helps that Iowa State offers a unique program that combines the two disciplines of dietetics and exercise science.

“There’s a lot of interplay between what we eat and what we do,” Maggie said. “So I thought that it was really cool that this program integrated both of those aspects, because you can’t really have one without the other.”

The combined program has also given her a jump start into the professional world through real-life experience. Maggie has interned in strength and conditioning with three different universities including Iowa State, and has volunteered for Iowa State’s football team. These experiences helped shape decisions throughout college and helped her hone in on how nutrition affects strength and conditioning.

“I think the next level, as far as athletics and strength and conditioning, of getting more out of your body, is going to be that nutrition aspect,” she said.

Maggie plans to use all that she’s learned from her program and her internships in the future as a collegiate strength and conditioning or track coach, and potentially also working as a clinical dietitian.

No matter what path Maggie chooses, she will continue to help people become the best version of themselves that they can be through her expertise on the interplay between diet and exercise.

“Nutrition is a part of building a more durable, capable athlete or human being in general,” Maggie said.

Student Spotlights