A nutrition student is making the leap from East campus to being a national committee representative.
Traci Armstrong Florian, a dietetics senior in the Department of Nutrition at ASU East, was recently named one of two student representatives for the American Dietetic Association.
The position will give Armstrong Florian the opportunity to act as a liaison between students and professional ADA members.
She will also be given a chance to write in the ADA's monthly newsletter, "American Dietetic Association Student Scoop."
Armstrong Florian has shown a dedication to the field through her studies, as well as her leadership role in the Student Nutrition Club.
According to Linda Vaughan, the nutrition department chair, a primary basis for the nomination was "her enthusiasm for the profession of dietetics."
Armstrong Florian said she is excited about the opportunities the appointment provides and how she can make a difference.
"This will give me a new and exciting area to make a difference and help strengthen the student members of the American Dietetic Association," she said. "It will afford me the opportunity to learn and see firsthand how the association functions."
Armstrong Florian also said it gives her an early start on networking "that I would not have been able to make otherwise."
While her specific duties have not yet been defined, Armstrong Florian does know she will be doing some traveling including a five-day conference in Chicago in July.
The ADA is based in Chicago and has approximately 70,000 members. It is the nation's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.
The appointment is effective June 1, 2005, and will run through May 31, 2006, though Armstrong Florian will be obtaining her bachelor's degree in May.
Reach the reporter at rachel.hawkinson@asu.edu.
