Rose Gaano is a Nutrition and Dietetic Technician, Registered (NDTR) who has resided in New Jersey all of her life. Initially Rose wanted to pursue a career in food and restaurant management. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Food Studies from New York University. However, after working in restaurant sales, she discovered that she wanted to use her passion for food and find a meaningful way to help others.
Rose enrolled in the dietetic technician program at Camden County College and obtained her associates degree in Dietetic Technology. Reflecting back, Rose states, “I was particularly drawn to community nutrition, which is a way for me to be proactive and offer preventative measures to help people lower their risk for chronic diseases and improve their overall well-being.”
Rose currently works as a Health and Wellness Project Coordinator at the Food Bank of South Jersey. In this role she manages and trains new staff, interns, and volunteers to implement programs, as well as schedules, coordinates, and excutes health and wellness programs, including cooking classes throughout Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties. Rose also supervises a youth council in Camden as part of a food access collective.
She notes, “Working at the food bank has taught me that food is more than providing nutrition. We, as a society, are still struggling with ensuring food security for everyone.” Her goal is to develop and implement impactful programs and services that better meet the needs of the community.
In addition to working at the Food Bank of South Jersey, Rose is an adjunct instructor at Camden County College. She teaches Introduction to Nutrition, serves as the faculty advisor for the Nutrition and Dietetics Club, and is the representative for the high school plus/dual credit program, which provides college credits to high school students who complete college-level work.
Roses’ work has inspired her to pursue a dual MBA in Sustainable Leadership and Sustainable Food Systems from Prescott College. With this decision, Rose states,
“I have chosen to learn about the bigger picture, which is our food systems and underlying issues associated with it. It is certainly complex and has widened my perspective.”
Rose is an active member of the New Jersey Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (NJAND), where she serves as the Exhibit Coordinator for the Annual Meeting. This past spring Rose was awarded NJAND’s Recognized Dietetic Technician of the Year Award for her tremendous contributions to the field of nutrition and to the profession.
In becoming a NDTR the biggest challenge Rose faced was determining relevant opportunities for NDTR’s other than in the clinical setting. Rose wanted to find a position where she could contribute her expertise. She was able to discover opportunities within her professional network that piqued her interest. As a result, the main piece of advice she would offer students interested in entering the field is to explore various opportunities and to be intentional with your learnings to get the most out of your academic experiences.
