Our blog, formerly ‘Hilltopper Nutrition’, now titled ‘Hilltop Health’ has a new author, Rebecca Maxwell. Get to know her and how she got her love for nutrition in this post! She is going to be a superstar dietitian! Expect some amazing things coming soon to Hilltop Health!
Hey guys! My name is Rebecca. I’m the new author of “Hilltop Health” blog, passed on to me from its awesome previous writer, Bethany Lawson.
I thought that since many of you might not know me, I’d introduce myself and tell you guys a little bit about me, my background, and how I got to be where I am today- though I am still quite near the beginning of this journey towards becoming Rebecca Maxwell, MS, RDN, LD!
Currently, I’m about to begin my sophomore year of college at Western in pursuit of a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Dietetics (and eventually a Master’s)! I was born and raised in Glasgow, Kentucky, which is about 45 minutes east of Bowling Green. Here are 10 random facts to help you get to know my personality a little better:
- Jesus is my first priority in life.
- I LOVE a good avocado.
- I prefer my water with no ice and at room temperature.
- It’s interestingly hard for me to frown.
- I’m an anti-procrastinator.
- Positivity is my mantra.
- I brush my hair… a lot.
- My hair is always tangly, hence the constant brushing.
- I have one straight thumb and one hitchhiker’s thumb (thanks genetics).
- AND I could spend countless hours in a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods inspecting
every single item on every shelf.
Awesome. So know that you know more about me personally, I want to briefly sum up how I became interested in nutrition and how I came to be sitting here today, writing this blog post.
At the beginning of my sixth grade year of elementary school, I was diagnosed with Scoliosis, or curvature of the spine. After assessing my back, my doctor decided that it would be best to wait and see if the curve developed further as I entered my growing period, and she referred me to an orthopedic spine surgeon for additional analysis. Shortly before the beginning of my eighth grade year, it was determined that the progressing curvature of my lumbar and thoracic spinal column was significant enough to require intervention in the form of a back brace that would be worn 23 hours a day until I stopped growing, which ended up being the summer before my Sophomore year of high school.
Those two years in the brace were pivotal for me. I hated that time in my life in the moment, but looking back on it, the experience has given me an appreciation for the body that just wasn’t there before. It was at this point, after all the doctor’s appointments and trips to the spine center, that I truly realized the capability that lies within the intricate systems that are our bodies.
That’s probably one of the main reasons I decided as a Sophomore that I wanted to go into the field of nursing… because I wanted to be on the front lines of healing and taking care of the human body. I was also attracted to nursing because it was practical and plentiful in the job market, however, at the same time that I had my mind made up about nursing, I fell in love with following and keeping up with food and wellness bloggers on Instagram. Their mission of health intrigued me for so long, and at one point during my junior year, I vividly remember thinking to myself while scrolling through one of their pages, “Why don’t you just do what you love for a living?!” This was such an aha moment for me as I began googling occupations in the nutrition field and BOOM “Registered Dietitian” popped up! I hadn’t even had a clue that RDs existed until then. After a lot more research, I decided to major in dietetics, the first step towards becoming a Dietitian.
When I finished high school and got to WKU, I knew that I needed to get connected with other people who would teach me and allow me to grow and discover my love for nutrition- and that’s exactly what Brandi Breden did for me. My first semester, I reached out to the campus dietitian asking if there were any volunteer opportunities that I could take advantage of, to which Brandi graciously supplied me with several. The following spring semester, she gave me a nutrition position which allowed me to learn everything I could from her expertise. Thanks to her, I was able to explore many different avenues of dietetic practice, and she definitely lit the spark of my interest in sports dietetics! During that time, I also gained so much valuable knowledge from older dietetic students who are now moving on to graduate school and completing their internships (lookin’ at you Rachel, Bethany, and Taylor 😉 It was through their encouragement that I sought leadership opportunities related to nutrition after seeing how important it was for their internship applications, which was also just an incredibly neat process to watch them go through. Although I’m not 100% sure which direction I want to go with dietetics yet, I am thankful that the options are numerous and that I have been beyond blessed with some amazing guidance.
So here I am, sharing my passion for health with others, like you, and learning as much as I can along the way.
Hilltop Health 