MS, RDN, LDN, CLT
My name is Aquierra Anderson and I am a fairly new Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. I am a graduate of Alcorn State University(BS), Tuskegee University(MS), & I completed my dietetic internship at Southern University and A&M College. So I am a 3x HBCU made clinician. I am currently pursing my doctorate degree in Clinical Nutrition. My future career interest includes research related to minorities and our dietary patterns. I decided to become a RDN due to the lack of nutrition knowledge among my community, the high chronic disease prevalence, and the absence of African American dietitians. I realized that there was a major need for me in my community, so I pursued dietetics.
I immediately noticed that being a black student from a HBCU I was at a disadvantage because we lacked many of the resources that many white students at PWI’s had. However, I did not let that stop me from reaching my goal. While searching for Dietetic Internships, I remember attending an open house at a PWI & the dietetic internship director stated to me that she would take a student from Purdue with a 3.0 GPA over my 3.6 GPA because it was from a “better institution”. The was the first of many distasteful experiences that I would have while pursuing this career. Now that I am a Licensed Dietitian, I am an advocate for bringing awareness to this field among African American high school and incoming college students who are interested in nutrition and wellness. I think that it’s very important to have RDs of color who can help guide other minorities into this profession. Being black I feel that I have a better opportunity to really help my people set and achieve realistic lifestyle goals. Every day I’m reminded that I chose the right profession when I see my patient amazed and excited about their RD being black!
Nutrition Diversified 