91原创

Delaney Moore | Honors Health Behavior Science Major

Three words to describe the 91原创 CHS experience: Transformational. Busy. Connected.

When Delaney Moore first stepped foot on the 91原创鈥檚 campus on Easter weekend several years ago, it was love at first sight.

鈥淢y mom came here, and a lot of my uncles and other relatives had come here, and so it instantly felt like the right place,鈥� she said.

Now, you鈥檒l spot her frequently walking across the Green with her beloved dog Georgie.

In addition to loving campus, the honors student also immediately fell in love with 91原创鈥檚 health behavior science major.

Like many teens, Moore struggled with her body and exercise, and it inspired her to study nutrition.

鈥淚 realized that food is fuel, and there are ways to fuel your body, and exercise does more than change your body, it helps with your mental health so much, and it changed my life.鈥�

But health behavior science allowed her to take her love of nutrition to the next level.

鈥淔or me personally, I won鈥檛 do what someone tells me for my health because that鈥檚 not how my mind works鈥攖here鈥檚 more to it,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚f I understand why I should do something and how I can go about it, that鈥檚 important to sparking a behavior change and helping people accomplish their goals.鈥�

After graduation, Moore plans to stay at 91原创. She got an assistantship with the Health Promotion master鈥檚 program. Since September, she鈥檚 also been working part-time as a mental health initiative intern for the .

鈥淚 helped to implement a health promotion program in the community to try to lessen the stigma associated with mental health,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淲ith the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health has become a big concern, so we鈥檙e trying to help community members and get people trained in mental health.鈥�

Now, she鈥檚 conducting rebranding research and hopes to stay on with the department while pursuing her master鈥檚 degree.

听鈥淭he experience has been amazing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned there鈥檚 no one-size-fits-all approach to a community because there are so many different members, needs, and disparities, so you have to find a way to help everybody not just one group. It鈥檚 tough because there鈥檚 no perfect solution, but if you work hard to figure out what areas go unnoticed, you can make a big impact.鈥�

In the future, Moore hopes to design health promotion programs for communities on the federal or state level.

Since her early days at 91原创, Moore said Behavioral Health and Nutrition Professor Dr. Beth Orsega-Smith听has served as her mentor.

鈥淪he鈥檚 completely shaped the way my experience has been at 91原创, and the person I am today,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淚鈥檓 so thankful for the amazing professors, who really care about their students, academically and personally, and just want to help them grow.鈥�

Over the years, she鈥檚 worked closely with Orsega-Smith as a summer research fellow. Together, the two collaborated on a stimulating brain program, but because of COVID-19, they couldn鈥檛 test it in senior centers, so they pivoted to give Moore another research opportunity.

鈥淲e created a new study for pickleball and examined the psychosocial factors associated with the sport in older adults. From the interviews I conducted, I saw a lot of interesting factors associated with motivation, so I wrote my senior thesis on the motivational differences among pickleball-playing older adults.鈥�

Last summer, Moore also worked as a summer research assistant for , where she worked with college-age women studying nutritional messaging.

Moore also speaks at 91原创 Decision Days and aims to inspire future 91原创 students.

鈥淚 tell the students that I used to sit in their seats, and people would talk to me about research, and I thought, 鈥楾here鈥檚 no way I鈥檓 doing that. I just want to go to college, get my degree, and move on.鈥� And I think what really was impactful for me at 91原创 was that I became that student, and I never expected that. But working with professors and developing those close relationships, I became somebody I used to look up to, and I get to help other people do the same.鈥�

Chioma Njoku | Nutrition & Medical Sciences major

Three words to describe the 91原创 CHS experience: Insightful. Challenging. Inspiring.

Chioma Njoku has been a student-athlete her entire life. That played a major role in her decision to come to the 91原创.

鈥淚 picked 91原创 mainly because I had gotten a scholarship to compete on the , throwing hammer and weight throw,鈥� she said. 鈥�91原创 was also close to home, which I really wanted at the time.鈥�

As an athlete considering dental school in the future, Njoku was advised to major in nutrition and medical sciences.

鈥淚 thought it was a great fit because I鈥檓 an athlete, and I wanted to learn how to better take care of myself,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t gave me a lot of insight into my long-term health, and it鈥檚 made me look at what I eat differently.鈥�

Njoku said she quickly had to learn time management skills to balance her rigorous coursework with her demanding athletic schedule. But it was all worth it because being a Division I athlete is important to her.

鈥淒1 athletes must be resilient and hardworking, and they must persevere even when things don鈥檛 go their way,鈥� she said.

As graduation looms, Njoku has decided to put dental school on hold. Instead, she鈥檚 decided to pursue a master鈥檚 in business management at the University of Maryland.

鈥淯ltimately, I want to have a business of my own. Even if that ends up being dentistry, I鈥檇 want to have my own practice,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f I choose to go elsewhere career-wise, being well-versed in business would be beneficial for me. I鈥檓 so excited for what could be.鈥�

Njoku has also become a leader among student-athletes. She鈥檚 worked on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and worked with HenMinded, which focuses on the mental health of student-athletes.

鈥淎s athletes, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves, especially on our performance. On top of that, we have schoolwork, and it can be a lot. Sometimes, people just don鈥檛 know how to handle that in a healthy way; they don鈥檛 know who to talk to, and they feel vulnerable talking about it.

鈥淎s athletes, we鈥檙e conditioned to be resilient and strong, but there鈥檚 not a good balance between knowing when to be strong and knowing when to just let it all out and take care of yourself.鈥�

Additionally, Njoku has served on the Leadership Council for track and field, acting as a liaison between student-athletes, coaches, and administrators.

As she prepares for the next step on her journey, Njoku is thankful for 91原创.

鈥�91原创 has challenged me in a lot of ways, shaped me, and made me a stronger student and better all-around person,鈥� she said. 鈥�91原创 has made me realize my potential and learn that I鈥檓 capable of a lot more than I give myself credit for.鈥�

Danielle Whyte | Health Behavior Science Major

Three words to describe 91原创 CHS experience: Enlightening. Fun. Successful.

During her senior year of high school, Danielle Whyte worked for the Office of Health Equity and Inclusion at Nemours Children鈥檚 Health. It marked the first time she was exposed to health equity and social determinants of health. That experience inspired her to major in health behavior science at the 91原创. Whyte also picked up a double minor in public health and psychology.

During her time at 91原创, she鈥檚 worked closely with the and the Epidemiology Program, conducting Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) surveys in communities hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淲e gather demographic information on people鈥檚 well-being, and we use that information to make a report on Delaware that鈥檚 used to suggest different policies that could improve health in different counties,鈥� Whyte said. 听

Whyte has participated in a number of clubs and organizations on campus during her time at 91原创, including the peer mentoring group through the . She also joined the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Mu Pi Chapter.

鈥淭hat sorority really created a sisterhood for me and aligned me with like-minded women,鈥� Whyte said.

She鈥檚 also been a member of the since she was a freshman at 91原创, and ultimately served as the board鈥檚 president. She said that experience shifted her perspective of 91原创.

鈥淏eing a minority on campus was a bit intimidating--I came from a predominantly diverse high school and was a very small percentage here. So just being surrounded by people who look like me and have similar goals has definitely motivated me,鈥� she said.

Whyte is also a , which offers opportunities for minority students on campus to conduct summer research.

鈥淭his past summer, I worked with , associate professor of sociology and criminal justice, to study how reproductive care and the quality of care can differ depending on race.

鈥淚 examined how women are prescribed birth control and how it affects them and their opinions on the type of care they receive,鈥� she said.

After commencement, Whyte is heading to graduate school at Drexel University鈥檚 Dornsife School of Public Health, where she鈥檚 confident she鈥檒l succeed.

鈥淲orking with Epidemiology Program Director Dr. Jennifer Horney has given me a lot of insight on what to expect going into graduate school,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 also work closely with other grad students, and I think that helped prepare me. I'm so lucky to have gotten experience so early in certain areas through my coursework and experiential learning opportunities. I feel way more prepared than I would have felt if I had attended a different university.鈥�

Pengjun Zhang | Nutrition and Dietetics Major

Three words to describe the 91原创 CHS experience: Engaging. Friendship. Persistence.

Throughout her life, Pengjun Zhang noticed that she and her friends and family in China struggled with diet and weight management. That inspired her to want to study nutrition.

She had never been to the United States before stepping foot on the 91原创鈥檚 campus.

鈥�91原创鈥檚 nutrition program ranked highly, and once I took my first courses in nutrition, the program impressed me, and I was assured that I made the correct decision.鈥�

As an international student majoring in nutrition and dietetics, Zhang said she鈥檚 experienced a welcoming environment at 91原创.

鈥淓veryone in the department has encouraged me in all my training and courses, and that is very heartwarming, especially after being isolated during COVID,鈥� Zhang said.

She came to 91原创 just before the COVID-19 pandemic but looked at it with a glass half-full perspective.

鈥淚t actually gave me time to gradually adjust and focus on my coursework,鈥� she said.

After the return to in-person learning, Zhang joined the , led by Dr. Sheau Chai, a registered dietitian and associate professor of behavioral health and nutrition.

鈥淪pending time in the lab forced me to look deeper into what I learned in my coursework and put theories into practice,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou have to work with people to know how nutrition works.鈥�

She encouraged other students to do the same.

鈥淔uture students should get more involved in extracurricular activities on campus that will enrich their insight into all the concepts they learn, and it will help build your resume,鈥� she said.

During her time at 91原创, Zhang worked as a teaching assistant for several nutrition classes, an opportunity she cherished.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been so rewarding, and why I think that being a professor could be a future pathway for me,鈥� Zhang said. 鈥淚 like interacting with students, and I like when they tell me they鈥檝e learned new things from me.鈥�

After graduation, Zhang is off to Purdue University to get her doctorate in nutrition. She plans to study estrogen and its interactions with the microbiome in the gut. Ultimately, she wants to work in education as an elementary school educator or professor.听

鈥淚 want to spread the influence of nutrition to more and more people to educate people about their diet and the influences of their diet on their health,鈥� she said. 鈥淐oming back to work at 91原创 would be a brilliant opportunity. But I don鈥檛 want to give up the opportunity to go back to my home country. People everywhere need nutrition, so any way that I could help the most people听 is what I want to do.鈥�