21/08/2023
Independent Study Summer 2023: Started in Sweden at to present the research I have been working on this past academic year focusing on World Foods. I was supported by and adventuring the Swedish and Danish food and landscapes with as we traveled through the country. I was then fortunate enough to hop on a couple of short flights to meet the University of Florida Nutrition Department on their week-long study abroad in Ikaria, Greece, where we studied longevity, food, wine, and bees. I am so grateful to have met such a wonderful community of friends and educators; the lessons learned, and friendships made in Ikaria will last a lifetime! I then extended my trip to Mallorca to meet back up with Summer and explore the beautiful foodways of Mallorca. We celebrated and enjoyed peak summer fresh fruits. I flew from Spain to Washington DC to present and watch my advisor Dr. Colby present and provide leadership to the society, I am grateful for her mentorship. Now that I have returned and settled back into my apartment in Knoxville to start my second year as a doctoral student in the community nutrition department I am ready and excited to post more reflections and lessons learned over the summer and how I can apply what I learned to fit my curriculum and career goals and showcase all the delicious foods I ate.