Sierra Weldon
Sierra Weldon wants to become a dietitian after college. When she’s not studying, she likes to be outdoors, run, read, listen to Katy Perry, The 1975, and live music.
Get to know Sierra
- Major: Pre-dietetics
- Class: Sophomore
- Hometown: Waterloo, Iowa (Black Hawk County)
- Career goal: Registered dietitian
- Clubs/activities: Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Club, Ethical Eating Club, Student Dietetic Association, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, FSHN Learning Community, Honors Program, Honors Undergraduate Research Program, first-year Honors Program co-leader
- Awards/honors: Dean’s list Fall 2019 to present, Charlotte Gustafson Akins Scholarship, Monica Shope Lursen Dietetics Scholarship, Kenneth G. Meyerhoff Scholarship
- Favorite place on campus: Anywhere during the fall and spring
- Most influential ISU mentors: Rose Martin, Alissa Stoehr, Emily Wilcox
- Favorite class: FSHN 167, Introduction to Human Nutrition; FSHN 115, Food Preparation Laboratory; FSHN 265, Nutrition for Healthy and Active Lifestyles
- Why Iowa State: Enjoyed campus and the dietetics program
Sierra Weldon gains experience in nutrition field, narrows down future specialization
Sierra Weldon’s interest in nutrition stemmed from running cross country in high school and being conscious about her diet. Now a sophomore at Iowa State University, she’s furthering her interest in the pre-dietetics major, while learning as much as she can in and outside of her classes.
At Iowa State, Sierra is a part of the Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Club, the Ethical Eating Club, and the Student Dietetic Association.
“[My clubs are] all focused on what I’m interested in; ethical eating and body image awareness [specifically],” Sierra said.
She is thinking about specializing in areas pertaining to her clubs, but Sierra still hopes to branch out and experience other aspects of dietetics before ultimately landing on her decision.
Sierra has already learned a lot through shadowing a Hy-Vee dietitian during the summer of 2019, where she helped the dietitian with prep work, while observing the ins and outs of the career.
This summer, she has landed a special diets and nutrition internship at Camp Lincoln and Camp Lake Hubert in Nisswa, Minnesota. There, she will be creating the special diet menus for the camps, and her sister, who’s studying culinary arts elsewhere, will be preparing those meals.
This is the first position in which Sierra will be able to make the final decisions regarding her menu items, and she’s looking forward to having that authority.
“I’ve done a lot of leadership this year to help me prepare [for my internship],” Sierra said. “I’ve tried to get out of my shell in college — that’s what it’s about. I’m pretty excited.”
As a sophomore, Sierra has time to decide what area of nutrition she is most passionate about, and will continue on with after she graduates. No matter what she decides, she’s already very dedicated to her future career in nutrition.
“The [dietetics] environment — it’s just something I’m drawn to,” Sierra said. “I really like learning about nutrition.”
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