Rena Schaeffer

Video Transcript

Hi. I'm Rena Schaeffer, and I'm a registered dietitian from Atlanta, Texas, and I'm a Wildcat. When I first started out, I just wanted to work with women, because that had been my experience. But I've been able to expand my services. I've been able to help the elderly. Now I'm working with teenagers. I never thought I would be working with a group of teenagers, but I've learned to love them.

Why did you decide to get healthier and become a dietitian?

I decided that it was time to change. I wanted to be able to exercise with my children. I wanted to go camping, hiking, skiing, and at my present weight I couldn't do that. I lost weight in a healthy way, I exercised, I watched what I ate, and I was successful. And at that point I said, I want to be able to help other people. I want to be able to help women especially. And I enrolled in school because I knew I needed more education.

Did you make friends through K-State?

During the time that I was going to K-State, my daughter got married. And one of my classmates was living in Hawaii and the wedding was going to be on Oahu. She met us at the airport, gave us a beautiful flower lei, and we hugged each other and got a picture of us, and that was great.

What about your professors?

I had some great professors at K-State. They were helpful, they were supportive, they were prompt. That's one of the main things about distance education—you have to have somebody that will answer you. Do you like being a registered dietitian?

There's so much that has been opened up to me. I can work in a hospital setting, I can work in an outpatient setting, I can work at a community setting, I can work in one-on-one counseling, and I can work in small groups. When I graduated from K-State, I was able to go into a whole new career path. I was able to help people in my community and that is what I want to do.

Quick Facts about the Dietetics Bachelor's Degree Program

Degree: Bachelor of Science
Description: Professional courses in food, nutrition, and food service systems management
Course delivery: Online
Application requirements: At least 30 college credits and completion of specific courses*
Completion requirements: Minimum of 2.75 GPA; *Visit the program website for complete listing.

Bachelor's Degree in Dietetics
Atlanta, Texas

After many years of running a successful business with her husband, Rena made a significant lifestyle change that helped her lose 80 pounds. When people started asking how she did it, she decided to go back to school to earn a bachelor's degree in dietetics so she could help other women improve their health.