Abbi Crago | Penn State College of Health and Human Development

Abbi Crago, Student Nutrition Association Vice President

Abbi Crago is a senior majoring in nutritional sciences in the nutrition and dietetics option and vice president of the Student Nutrition Association (SNA). She plans on using her passion for nutrition and dietetics to become a resource for nutritional education in her community.

After being an SNA member since her junior year, Abbi was encouraged by her fellow members to run for vice president and is using her position to help recruit new members and grow the organization.

A group of students pose around a table with lunch trays.

As a member, she has helped to assemble food packages with the local YMCA for families in need, worked with the Penn State Student Farm to educate community members about plant-based nutrition, and helped bake over 2,500 cupcakes to distribute to dancers and staff at Penn State’s student-run THON.

Now, as the SNA vice president, she assists the SNA president in organizing the club and creating engaging activities for members to create a close-knit community within SNA.

“My fellow club members urged me to run for the vice president position,” Abbi said. “Honestly, if it wasn’t for the other members in the club, I may not have gone to many meetings when I first joined. The students in SNA make up the spirit of our organization.”

Abbi Crago standing in front of a window at a display table.

Abbi recently completed an internship with Meadville Mind Body and Wellness Center, where she was a dietary intern. This experience allowed her to focus on low-income diabetes education and management through creating meal plans, recipes, educational handouts, and community presentations.

During her childhood in a rural town, Abbi watched friends’ and peers’ families struggle to be able to afford to eat. She saw the toll it can take on individuals and families who do not have consistent access to food and who may encounter challenges in accessing healthy meals.

Following graduation, Abbi plans to use her knowledge and experience in nutrition to pursue becoming a dietitian and promote nutrition education in rural communities.

“I have witnessed the challenges many people face when it comes to gaining nutritional knowledge and especially implementing that knowledge,” Abbi said. “Many individuals live with chronic conditions and lack the support needed to provide nutritious meals for themselves and their families. I want to take the education I received here in nutritional sciences back home to become a resource that my community can turn to.”