CAHS grad, future registered dietitian plans to educate limited-resource families on proper nutrition
Kiera Morris will graduate from Prairie View A&M University this spring with a B.S. degree in dietetics. She plans to take a year off from school after graduation to save money and study for her dietetic internship. In the fall of 2021, Morris will start the M.S. degree program in nutrition and food service at Texas Woman’s University. Concurrently, she’ll work at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston to obtain the necessary hours of practice required to sit for the Commission of Dietetic Registration (CDR) Examination. Once she gains licensure as a registered dietitian, Morris plans to open a practice in the inner-city area of Houston to provide nutrition education and counseling, food demonstrations, and free, organically grown produce to limited-resource families.
“I aspire to be a nutrition professional who educates people, who might not have much money, how they can still enjoy healthy, delicious meals from their own kitchens,” said Morris. “I also hope to provide families with low-socioeconomic statuses food security from my on-site garden.”
The Louisiana native says PVAMU gave her the head start she needed. She filled her four years on “The Hill” in the following organizations: Purple Jackets, the Student Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (SAND). She was president of Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society. She also served as the student representative on the Human Nutrition and Food Program Advisory Council.
“I spent time traveling during my undergraduate career, which I will treasure for life. I was able to Study Abroad in Jamaica and learned about Jamaican cooking techniques, nutritional values as well as Jamaican history and culture. During my stay, I made lifelong friends. I also went to Philadelphia for the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE), where I gained valuable knowledge from professionals in the field,” she said.
During her undergraduate career, she explains that she “also learned how to use the Bod Pod, a machine that accurately calculates a person’s body composition. I was able to combine this data with my nutritional knowledge to contribute to an on-campus study in which nutrition students created meal plans for PVAMU athletes in an effort to improve their performance.”
And, when choosing a university, for Morris, it was love at first sight.
“I remember the day I visited the campus for the first time; I was in awe of the natural beauty. The physical appeal paired with it being an HBCU, I knew PVAMU was the institution I wanted to receive higher learning,” said Morris. “Maintaining a 4.0-3.9 GPA throughout my time at PVAMU, along with achieving this versatile degree, makes me ecstatic that I will be able to make my parents proud.”
And she offers the following advice, “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your time at PVAMU. I encourage students to step out of their comfort zones. You never know what you might learn about yourself. But, the most important thing is to never forget why you’re here in the first place! Your degree should always come first.”
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