Spectrum - Volume 19 Issue 26 April 3, 1997 - GRADUATE STUDENT SERVICE AWARD

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GRADUATE STUDENT SERVICE AWARD

Spectrum Volume 19 Issue 26 - April 3, 1997

Alicia Hogbin

By Susan Trulove

Alicia Hogbin, a Virginia Tech master's student in human nutrition, foods and exercise with a concentration in community nutrition, is a model of the service Virginia Tech graduate students perform for surrounding communities.

She will be recognized for the example she has set by being presented the Graduate Student Service Award at Founders Day.

Hogbin helped young and old throughout the New River Valley as she explored her own interests in nutrition service. Her volunteer activities during the past two years included:

* Teaching at Camp Lighten' Up, a Virginia Cooperative Extension summer program for 9-to-14-year-olds to promote healthy eating behaviors and build self-esteem. Hogbin revamped the curriculum by researching different methods to teach nutrition to children and collaborating with Jeannine Brinegar of the America Cancer Society to create interactive mini lessons and enjoyable activities to illustrate key concepts and build self-esteem, such as a detective theme to teach children about hidden fats and sugars in food. She developed more than 20 lessons and constructed a curriculum guide for future instructors.

* Counseling students referred by the university's health services unit to the HNF department. "She demonstrated a genuine interest and compassion for her clients while providing realistic, scientifically based recommendations," faculty member Elizabeth Thomas said.

* Working for Virginia Tech's wellness program, CommonHealth, by gathering materials for Eating on the Run that tell how to eat healthily when there is little time for food preparation, by coordinating student volunteers for the CommonHealth Fair, and by developing the Healthy Recipes Contest.

Hogbin earned bachelor's degrees in both biology and psychology from Virginia Tech. As a graduate student, she has been a teaching assistant, and also earned the department's Wentworth Award for service. She expects to receive her master's this summer, then plans to become a registered dietitian and work in public health nutrition.