Nicole Behrooz is a 3rd year graduate student in the Dietitian Nutritionist Coordinated Program at the University of Pittsburgh. She graduated with a bachelor’sdegree in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise from Virginia Tech in 2018, and then completed a post-bacc year at Pitt before starting the Master’s program. Her empathetic and amiable personality drives her interest in working with chronic diseases in the healthcare space.

Nicole is grateful for her undergraduate career experiences, which consisted of working for Virginia Tech Athletics as well as volunteering with her sisters in a service sorority. One of the best things to happen during her undergraduate years was volunteering for Special Olympics, where her interest in LEND stems from. After volunteering weekly for 4 years, she developed amazing connections with individuals with disabilities. In May of 2019, after her post-bacc year, Nicole got the opportunity to travel to Ireland with the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in Ireland program. There, she learned about how different healthcare roles play into treating a person with disabilities. Shortly after that experience Nicole learned about LEND and decided to delve into that side of her interests within nutrition. She is currently gaining clinical experienceas a dietetic intern at UPMC Eastin Monroeville, PA. She strives to apply the leadership and inclusion skills learned at LEND to her clinical experiences and throughout her career.