Sara

Throughout high school, we are told that we have to get into a “good” college, that we have to get our grades up, participate in after school activities and make SURE that we get good marks on our SATs, all in the name of getting into a “quality” college. And in the last decade or so, that college can end up costing tens of thousands of dollars.

There is an answer, and it's always been there, providing diverse programs at a reasonable cost. It's called Community College, and for many, it is the answer to their prayers.

Sara had always been interested in food and nutrition. She became a vegan in high school, and had to learn what foods would provide the vitamins and minerals she needed without turning to animal products. But she was intimidated by the thought of going to college for nutrition. The programs seemed overwhelmingly science based, and Sara was afraid that her professors and peers would ridicule her veganism. So after her high school graduation in 2005, instead of pursuing her passion, she went to a local private college, Dowling, for communications.

“I absolutely should have taken a year off,” she admits. “But I felt so pressured to go to college and do something that I went.”

Communications seemed like a major with many different possibilities, but it was one that Sara had no real interest in. Following a year of poor grades, she transferred to Five Towns College for film. She met the same difficulties here that she had at Dowling.

“Film is such a hard industry to work in, and I wasn't interested in it enough to want to claw my way to the top,” she says.

Sara tried to make this new college work for a year, but the pressure to do well and the anxiety over money was often completely overwhelming. She left Five Towns after two semesters, finally deciding to pursue her passion: nutrition.

Sara dipped her toes into the field by attending a certification course for integrated nutrition. It seemed a less threatening option than another semester in school, but the quality simply wasn't there. The program didn't really teach her anything useful or based in science, and she realized that if she was serious about going into the field, she would have to go about it the right way.

Instead of attending another private school, Sara truly began her path to becoming a nutritionist at Suffolk Community College. At first it was just to ease the financial burden, but as the weeks went on, she found herself flourishing.

“My professors were great, and I felt so motivated!” she says. “I was happy with what I was learning, I was doing really well, and the other students around me were enthusiastic. I was afraid of this field for so long, but if I had just taken a year off after high school, I might have ended up here first and avoided all that anxiety.”

Not only was the nutrition program at Suffolk motivating, it was challenging. Sara interned at several different locations, including hospitals, schools, and long term care facilities. She earned a two year degree in applied sciences and she felt more than prepared to take her first career exam. Sara passed with flying colors, and became a Dietetic Technician.

Sara had done so well at Suffolk that she earned a full ride to the nutritionist program at C.W. Post.

“At C.W. Post I felt so much more prepared than the other students,” Sara says. “I think people really need to look closely at community colleges because they offer so much more than people think they do.”

She graduated from C.W. Post in May of 2014, but is staying with the school for another year to complete her internship program. Like Suffolk's program, the internship offers her a taste of nutritionist work from a multitude of vocations. She also began a part time job working at the Renfrew Center in New York City, a facility that helps women overcome eating disorders. The work was intense, but extraordinarily eye opening. Sara has become interested in community work, in teaching classes about nutrition.

“It's funny when I think about how shy I was in high school,” she says. “I used to be excused from oral presentations, and now teaching groups is one of my favorite aspects of what I do.”

Sara will be taking the test to become a full Dietician in the spring of 2015. She is incredibly grateful for the opportunity that Suffolk gave her to pursue her passion without fear or ridicule, and she hopes soon to pass on her love of nutrition to a new generation.