MaKayla Bracey 2024-2025 Future Leaders Mentoring Scholarship Recipient
Print
EmailMaKayla Bracey, FSHN Dietetics student, shares her experience with the program and what receiving the Future Leaders Mentoring Scholarship has meant for her undergraduate experience.
Name: MaKayla Bracey
Hometown: Farmington Hills, MI
Major: Dietetics
Why did you choose MSU FSHN for your major?
I didn’t choose Dietetics; Dietetics chose me. From a very young age, I knew what I wanted. When asked about the future, I would often say, “I’ll never have a job that doesn’t involve food or people.” I was enamored with food, nutrition, agriculture, and had a big heart for others and public service. Eventually, I learned there was a career that embodied all my aspirations and love for culinary arts (and eating), and it felt like fate. Stepping into this field remains one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life!
What has been the most interesting thing you have learned during your major?
The most interesting thing I’ve learned in my time at MSU is just how multifaceted and complex the field of Dietetics is. At first it seems like a straightforward discipline focused solely on nutrition. But there are countless aspects from agriculture and food systems to biochemical processes and public health initiatives that professionals dedicate their entire careers to exploring. It’s eye opening to realize how much we still don’t know. Despite all the advancements, there are still many unanswered questions and areas of research that hold tremendous potential for the future.
What has receiving the Future Leaders Mentoring Scholarship meant to you?
I can’t put into words exactly how it feels that someone was willing to invest in my dream and my future. I am extremely humbled, grateful, and inspired by the opportunity to continue this journey with the support of others. Life is hard and always getting harder. So, it makes a huge difference to have some of the burden lifted from me so that I can put my very best into becoming a competent, kind, and impactful Registered Dietitian.
What are your future plans?
I will spend my present and future taking every opportunity to grow myself both as a person and within the field of Dietetics. I care deeply for every community and would like to use what I’m learning to reach others and change their lives for the better. I plan to do this utilizing my career in human nutrition while branching into the areas of research, policy analysis, and community outreach. My overarching goal is to aid progress towards a world where wellness is accessible to all people.
If there was only one thing you could share with someone considering MSU FSHN for their undergraduate experience, what would you tell them?
Michigan states FSHN department spares no opportunity to grow, inform, encourage, and look out for the students under its charge. They positively flood us with opportunities, as well as general and financial support, to take our careers wherever we may choose. It’s a great place to grow, safely step out of your comfort zone, and find out what you’re made of and who you’ll be.
