Short Bio: I was born in the Philippines and moved to America when I was 6 yrs old. I mostly grew up in New York but I lived in California for a short period of time. I am trilingual with Filipino and English being my first languages, and Japanese being a language I picked up later on. For fun I enjoy; cooking, digital art, camping/hiking, martial arts and video games.
- How did you become interested in the field of dietetics? Why do you want to be a dietician?
I became interested in the field after I was exploring career opportunities during my high school years. I got to talk one-on-one with an outpatient dietitian that worked at the clinic where my mom works. I want to become a dietician primarily because I was drawn to the flexibility of the career. I don’t have to have a very clinical and scientific career. I can be a bit more creative and explorative. - What did you learn at The Sylvia Center?
Something that I learned from The Sylvia Center is that it is never too early or too late to learn how to cook and make a healthy change to your dietary lifestyle. - What does being healthy mean to you?
For me being healthy is being able to fuel your body with the proper types of food. Everyone is made and built differently, so the types of food that your body needs to be healthy will also vary. It is up to you to take the initiative and explore what is healthy eating. - What message do you want to tell young people about healthy eating?
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be plain and boring; be creative and explore with different recipes and ingredients. Combine it with other things you are interested in or do for fun. For example, I enjoy playing video games, and the games often have food items that help power up the character(s). I like to take those ingame food items and try to recreate them. Since I enjoy hiking I like to make my own granola bars and experiment on savory and sweet ingredients when I make them. - What is your favorite recipe to make?
My favorite recipe to make is Thai sweet chili wonton cups. It is easy to make and I love the combination of savory with a hint of sweetness. The recipe is easy and quick to make.
