Class of 2023: Abbey Stone found her passion in enriching community nutrition
Name: Abbey Stone
Hometown: Christiansburg, Virginia
Major: Human nutrition, foods, and exercise
What are your plans after graduation?
I’m going to pursue my M.S. in nutrition and dietetics here at Virginia Tech. I plan to become a registered dietitian nutritionist. Right now I'm interested in pediatric nutrition, but the program offers great supervised experiential learning rotations, which will help me explore the different areas in which I could work.
What drew you to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences?
I began my academic career as a business major, but I quickly became very invested in my own nutrition, which is why I decided to change my major to human nutrition, foods, and exercise, with a specialization in dietetics. I immediately felt at home here in the college.
What hands-on learning experiences have helped you at Virginia Tech?
Something that I have always admired about Virginia Tech is the emphasis placed on giving back to the community. Throughout my academic career, I was able to participate in hands-on service-learning experiences, such as volunteering at the Blacksburg farmers market and creating informational content for Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Family Nutrition Program as a class project.
What internship or research experiences had a big impact on you?
I was a Virginia Family Nutrition Program intern during the summer of 2022, which was a wonderful opportunity to get a glimpse of the importance of community nutrition and the positive impacts it can have on our local communities.
Who is a faculty member that influenced you and how?
The faculty member who influenced me the most was Heather Cox, a senior instructor and director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics. I was lucky enough to have three classes with Heather and learned so much from her that I will carry with me into my professional career. She cares so much about her students and their success and has been a guiding light for me and many of my classmates.
What’s your favorite Hokie memory?
My favorite memory is when I was accepted into the M.S. in nutrition and dietetics program. It made me think about all of my incredible peers and professors in the college and the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise who helped me get to where I am today.
