Featured Student: Entering the Next Decade

This past weekend I celebrated my 30th birthday. Some of you, fellow students, are probably saying, “Wow, she’s OLD!” Well, I certainly do feel old sometimes when I’m in class and the student sitting next to me is celebrating her 19th birthday. THEN…I can actually feel my skin getting wrinkled.

I remember when I started my DPD program over a year ago. The day before class started, I sobbed to my husband and friends: What if everyone uses computers and I’m the only one taking notes with a pen and paper? What if I’m the oldest person in the class? What if I don’t make any friends? What if I can’t get my brain back into studying mode? I admit, all that and more went through my head.  Of course, the first day of school came, and I met a girl, who was MY age, on my way to class, who also takes notes with pen and paper. She’s one of my closest friends now.
Going back to school has been one of the most intense, crazy, frustrating, yet rewarding experiences of my life. Sure, I look at my younger peers and am super jealous that they can pull all-nighters, eat crappy foods and not gain an ounce, and look fierce in the trendy fashions that I absolutely cannot wear.
But, on the flip side, I am so grateful to be older and bring life and business experience with me to the table. I can handle stress very well. I can network, negotiate, and build rapport on a much greater level than when I was 21, 22, or even 27. I have polished my writing skills, and I know how to make myself stand out from the crowd. And, I have the confidence that a woman with 30 years on this planet has…which I certainly did NOT have when I was younger.

I believe, whole-heartedly, that we are exactly where we are supposed to be. Embarking on my nutrition career was meant to happen NOW, and not one moment sooner. I am, however, freaking out at the fact that I will probably (and hopefully!) have a child by the time I am done with school! Now THAT’S scary!