Alumni Spotlight - Stephanie Solomon

Stephanie Solomon graduated from the Nutritional Sciences undergraduate program in May 2010. She currently lives in State College, PA, and is a registered dietitian and nutrition coach in her own virtual nutrition practice. 

Why did you pursue a degree from Penn State Nutritional Sciences?

I have always been a foodie, especially with good home-cooked Argentinian cuisine at home. A sports nutrition course in high school helped me connect the dots between food and our health. 

Being a first-generation college student, I did not have any ties to Penn State, but I fell in love with the beauty of the campus during a tour. Penn State, and especially the nutritional sciences department, had a great reputation and drove me to pursue my degree there.

What is your job, and what impact are you seeking to make? 

I love being able to work with my clients one-on-one to help them reach their health and wellness goals. Having my own business gives me the ability to support clients in various ways, such as individual sessions, group programs, email support, and social media. 

My goal is to provide digestive health and holistic nutrition expertise to my patients and to those online through my social media content.

How did your degree help you to get to your current position? 

There is so much food noise on the internet, and everyone struggles to know what the facts truly are and how they should eat. From my background in nutrition from my degree, I am able to give my clients more clarity and customized recommendations that are science-based.

What is the biggest opportunity and the biggest challenge in the field? 

One opportunity is that the field of nutrition is great for job security. There will always be a demand for nutritional support as food is a necessity, and disease rates continue to rise. I love how diverse this field is, as there are so many areas to work in. I have had the pleasure of working within corporate wellness, nutritional counseling, eating disorder support, food companies, and now private practice. 

One of the biggest challenges is how much nutrition is misunderstood and misrepresented. My clients are bombarded with “influencer” trends, fad diets, dangerous supplements, and more daily. I am constantly having to prove my qualifications to build trust with them and debunk these myths to help them understand how evidence-based nutrition will help them reach their goals. 

What advice do you have for recent graduates? 

I highly recommend exploring different areas of nutrition. If your end goal is private practice, do not just dive in immediately. Get a good knowledge base first and see what areas speak to you. Do not underestimate the power of networking!