Dietetic Internship Class of 2024-2025

Armando Arce III moved to Northern California in 2019 after obtaining his A.S. degrees in Kinesiology and Natural Sciences at East Los Angeles College. He graduated from San Francisco State University in 2022 with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics and a minor in Holistic Health. During his time as an undergrad, he volunteered with the Holistic Health Network under Professor Jennifer Daubenmier and Professor Kenn Burrows and created a club on campus dedicated to meditation, yoga, and mindfulness discussions called Wind Down Wednesdays. Since graduation, he has worked as a dietary assistant at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and as a dietary aide at Telecare’s Cordilleras Mental Health Center, gaining valuable experience working on interdisciplinary teams and with diverse patients and clients. His experiences in the field of nutrition, holistic health, and kinesiology provide him with different perspectives on wellness and longevity. As a dietetic intern he aims to persevere through any challenge and gain the wisdom to help others overcome their challenges as well. Armando is interested in pediatrics, holistic health, and nutrition in the life cycle.

Yamilet Camacho received a BS from UC Berkeley, majoring in Nutritional Sciences Physiology and Metabolism. Prior to pursuing her dietetic internship and master's degree in dietetics at SFSU, Yamilet was a practicing sonographer and imaging specialist with a focus on the vascular system. Her expertise in this field was honed through years of dedicated practice, where she developed a keen eye for detail and a profound understanding of the complexities of vascular health. Yamilet's role as a sonographer is not merely technical; she practiced with a deep sense of empathy and a commitment to serving patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. She believes that understanding and respecting each patient's unique cultural and familial context is essential to providing effective and compassionate care. Yamilet is dedicated to exploring the intricate relationships between diet, medical intervention, and disease prevention. She aims to integrate her knowledge of vascular health with advanced nutritional science to develop comprehensive care plans that address the ever-evolving needs of patients. Yamilet's multifaceted expertise, coupled with her genuine warmth and empathy, enables her to make a lasting impact on the lives of those she serves. 

Nicole Caragan graduated Cum Laude from San Francisco State University in 2023 with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics. During her time at SFSU, she served as the Mentorship Committee Leader for the Student Nutrition Dietetics Association, overseeing a mentorship program that offered guidance and support to students. Her background includes over seven years of retail experience, contributing to her strength in customer service. Her commitment to community service is demonstrated through her role as a Food Distributor for Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. Nicole currently works at Mills-Peninsula Medical Center as a diet clerk, where she has gained valuable clinical and food service experience by preparing and delivering meal trays to patients and taking patients’ meal orders over the phone. She is particularly focused on the clinical aspects of dietetics, aiming to help individuals manage health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. She strives to become a clinical dietitian, focusing on assisting populations with diabetes. This goal is deeply rooted in her family's health struggles, and she has a strong desire to create a substantial and positive impact on the lives of others. In her free time, she enjoys listening to podcasts and music, cooking, working out, hanging out with friends, and spending time with her cat.

Rebecca Crosby graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2024 from San Francisco State University. She has also earned a B.A. in English literature from California State University, Chico and did her junior year abroad at the University of Wales, Swansea. Rebecca left a professional career in marketing to pursue her study of Dietetics. As an ex-marketing professional, Rebecca has over fifteen years of experience in event production, brand development, team leadership, and media promotion. As a forth-coming nutrition professional, Rebecca hopes to use her professional skill-set and experience to contribute to positive systemic change through nutrition education and policy making. Rebecca has been growing her experience in dietetics by working as a Diet Clerk at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco and as a research assistant at Scherr Nutrition Science Consulting. Rebecca is excited to gain more professional experience in the field through her rotations in the Dietetic Internship. In addition to her professional life, Rebecca is a wife and mother of two daughters. She loves the outdoors and going on hikes with her dog, Fitz.

Kalia Yuen Firmage graduated from San Diego State University in 2023 with a B.S. in Foods and Nutrition. During her undergraduate years, Kalia worked as a Diet Technician at Center for Discovery, an outpatient eating disorder treatment center. In this role, she supported patients during meal time, led nutrition groups, and provided oral supplements for unfinished meals. She loved this position and is particularly interested in working with the eating disorder population. After graduating, she worked at MarinHealth Medical Center as a Nutrition Technician. This position provided valuable experience in an inpatient care setting and in hospital food service. Key responsibilities included rounding on various units to obtain meal selections, providing basic education on therapeutic diets, and supervising tray lines for accuracy. She has additional interests in pediatric nutrition, women’s health, and would love to incorporate a holistic approach into her future practice as a Registered Dietitian. Outside of school and work, Kalia enjoys practicing yoga, spending time with her family, walking her dog, and cozying up with a good book.

Guilherme Guimaraes graduated from San Francisco State University in the spring of 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition & Dietetics. Growing up, he was surrounded by sports and fascinated by the interaction of body, food, and mind. With many years of management experience in the food industry, Guilherme Guimaraes sharpened leadership, communication, and operational skills, facilitating a perceptive understanding of dietary needs, hospitality, and preferences. Guilherme's journey continued in the hospital setting, where exposure to clinical nutrition granted valuable knowledge. As he worked closely with patients to develop personalized dietary plans to support their health, it solidified his commitment to helping others achieve optimal health through nutrition. During adolescence, Guilherme played semi-professional soccer in Brazil, gaining insight into the routine and dedication required to be an athlete. This experience inspires him to help individuals reach their peak performance in the field of sports nutrition. Guilherme is fluent in English, Portuguese, and proficient in Spanish, and aims to positively impact individuals' health and well-being, guiding them on their nutritional journeys with confidence and knowledge.

Kirstin Jackson earned a culinary degree and cooked professionally before graduating with highest honors and a B.A. in anthropology in 2006 from UC Berkeley. After graduation, Kirstin worked as a wine bar manager, taught cheese and wine classes, and launched a business offering private cheesemaking and pairing classes around the SF Bay Area. During this time, Kirstin wrote a book about cheesemaking, and published articles in the SF Chronicle, LA Times, Kinfolk, and Edible East Bay. While learning about cheesemaking, Kirstin fell in love with food chemistry and nutrition and realized she wanted to become more involved with her community and the health industry. In 2020, Kirstin returned to school and graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Nutrition & Dietetics from San Francisco State in 2024. While earning her degree, Kirstin volunteered as a cook and nutrition educator with Cooking Matters, as a diet clerk at the San Francisco VA Hospital, and in the Palo Alto VA Hospital MOVE! Weight Management Clinic and Whole Health garden. She also worked as an Olympic Lead in Stanford University’s Fueling Station, supporting student athlete nutrition. She is excited to become a dietetic intern and experience her clinical and community rotations. In her spare time Kirstin reads, bakes, hikes, and hangs out with her shih tzu mix and husband.

Rebecca Nassimi graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Honors College at the University of Maryland in 2024 with a B.S. in Dietetics. During her undergraduate journey, she worked as Team Lead of Graphic Design at UMD Dining Services where she created graphics to spread nutrition information and boost student engagement. As a Research Assistant at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she gained experience with controlled-feeding studies. Additionally, Rebecca served as Executive Assistant at HolisticallyKosher where she developed, prepared, and photographed healthy recipes and created client meal plans. She also held the role of Campus Outreach Chair for UMD’s Student Dietetic Association where she organized events to raise nutrition awareness and combat food insecurity. Rebecca is passionate about reversing and managing chronic diseases through dietary interventions. She also has a special interest in women’s health and would love to help women manage hormones, improve fertility, and enhance health through motherhood. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys working on her photography business, cooking, reading, playing volleyball, watching sunsets, and exploring the outdoors with her husband.

Lillian Rodriguez graduated cum laude from San Francisco State University in 2024 with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics. Prior to SFSU, she studied at City College of San Francisco where she completed A.S. degrees with High Honors in Biological Sciences and Science and Mathematics, and a Certificate of Achievement in Science Core for Nursing. While at SFSU, she was a member of the Student Nutrition and Dietetics Association (SNDA) and served in the marketing and promotion of the club to the campus community. Lillian enjoys mentoring, tutoring, and collaborating with her fellow students and could often be found leading a study group or helping a fellow classmate. Her goal after the M.A./D.I. program is to become a Registered Dietitian focused on improving the quality of life for the aging population in San Francisco. In the future, Lillian sees herself pursuing a PhD in community nutrition and learning about holistic approaches to medicine through food. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, drawing, tutoring her brother, and spending time with her family and friends.

Kevin Vo graduated from California State University, Sacramento in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Food and Nutrition while simultaneously working in the culinary world. After a decade of experience in the food, hospitality, and corporate wellness industry, he realized it was time for a career change. However, he still wanted to continue to work with food. Becoming a Registered Dietitian would allow Kevin to continue to work with food and dive deeper into the science of nutrition while having a more personal impact on the population. While maintaining his daytime job, he completed the required prerequisite courses at community colleges before getting accepted to San Francisco State University as a post-bacc student. Kevin then graduated from SFSU in 2024 with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics. Kevin is strongly interested in clinical nutrition, pediatrics, improving food access for all, and food operations and programs. In the future, Kevin would like to work as an international dietitian, implementing food and nutrition programs for those in need in different parts of the world.

Olivia Volponi graduated from San Diego State University in 2024, with a Bachelor’s degree in Foods & Nutrition and a minor in Sustainability. Throughout her undergraduate experience, she volunteered at Jacobs & Cushman Food Bank and the People’s Produce Mobile Farmer’s Market in San Diego. Here, she discovered her love of helping improve a community’s access to nutrition knowledge. During her final year at SDSU, she worked as a Room Service Attendant at UCSD Health. Key responsibilities of this position included taking patients' menu orders based on their prescribed diet plan, delivering patient meal trays, maintaining nourishment room stock on all patient care floors of the hospital, and collaborating with kitchen staff as needed to ensure proper preparation of trays. Olivia is passionate about nutrition and strives to empower others to achieve their nutrition goals and maintain a healthy lifestyle. She is excited to expand her knowledge and skill set through the experience of being an San Francisco State University Dietetic Intern and participating in the program’s diverse rotations. Outside of nutrition, Olivia’s hobbies include attending concerts, reading, gardening, and enjoying the outdoors.

Alena Wong graduated cum laude in 2024 from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics & Nutrition Science. During her time as an undergraduate student, Alena was a member of the Student Nutrition Dietetic Association (SNDA) and worked as the student coordinator for the university’s food pantry, Gator Groceries, which provided her with hands-on experience regarding food safety, food insecurity, and customer service. She also acted as a liaison between the pantry and other basic needs departments within the university, such as Health Promotion & Wellness (HPW) and Food Shelter Success (FSS). With interests in pediatrics, and global and preventative health, Alena hopes to utilize her dietetic internship to gain varied experiences in clinical, community nutrition, and management to determine which area of practice she would like to work in once she becomes an RDN. In her free time, Alena enjoys spending time with her friends, watching TV, listening to music, traveling, and baking.

Julie Yang has worked in the restaurant food service industry for many years. She graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Environmental Health and worked as a Health Inspector for a few years. Early on, she always had an interest and passion for nutrition after taking a nutrition class in high school. She also played a lot of sports and was interested in sports performance. These passions always stayed with her and so she decided to change careers, continue her studies and graduated with a second B.S. in Nutrition & Dietetics from San Francisco State University. She also got her ACE Group Fitness Instructor & Personal Trainer Certification and hopes to be able to combine the two disciplines together to help people reach their health and performance goals and improve their relationships around food. She has volunteered with Crestwood Behavioral Center where she assisted Registered Dietitians in preparing tray tickets, writing diet slips, and portioning food. She is looking forward to gaining more clinical and community nutrition experience. In her free time, she enjoys lounging around, learning to play guitar, dog & cat sitting, and working out. 

Jen Zielke graduated from CalPoly, San Luis Obispo in 2024 with a B.S. in Applied Nutrition and minors in Ethnic Studies and Queer Studies. While an undergraduate, they worked as a dietary aide at Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, gaining experience in a fast-paced hospital setting while supporting patients’ individual needs. Jen also worked as a Peer Health Education Lead with their school’s health and wellbeing department. In that role, they developed health outreach and nutrition education programs to motivate students to make choices supporting their personal health goals. In their role as a Client Advocate with The Yellow House Project, an outpatient eating disorder program, Jen facilitated group cooking sessions, fostered a community centered on eating disorder recovery, and helped ensure clients adequately nourished themselves during recovery. Jen is passionate about debunking diet-myths, helping people improve their relationship with their bodies and food, the inherent health of cultural foods, and MNT for all conditions, especially eating and feeding disorders (esp. ARFID). As an RD, they want to empower others to make food decisions that improve well-being and quality of life. Outside of dietetics, they love learning to cook, writing poetry about food and life, doing their PT, advocating for their communities and folks of other marginalized groups, and showering their sunshine sister with all their love.