Dietetic Internship Class of 2026 - 2027

Alex Aguilar is a deeply dedicated healthcare professional with a blend of expertise in diagnostic cardiology, neurology, emergency medicine and advanced nutrition science. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Alex has spent over 15 years on the front lines of patient care. He currently serves as a dual EKG and EEG Technician at Sutter Health, building on a clinical foundation that includes completing paramedic school and dedicating over 1,000 hours of volunteer service to the Fremont Fire Department. Alex’s journey into nutrition science was born out of this frontline experience. Witnessing firsthand the intersection of acute crisis care and chronic lifestyle diseases, he felt a strong calling to pivot toward preventative, evidence-based therapy. He earned his B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from SFSU, bridging his understanding of human physiology with proactive wellness strategies. In his down time, Alex likes to play the piano, sail on the bay, be outdoors and raise his four-year-old daughter, Zoey. Currently, he is teaching her to swim, with a goal of swimming independently by the end of the summer.

Rachel Burge was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and is proud and grateful to live in a beautifully diverse region. For over 10 years, she has worked with private clients as an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer in her own business, during which time she became increasingly interested in the field of nutrition. Rachel graduated from the University of Alabama in 2026 with an M.S. in Human Nutrition with a clinical concentration while also completing a B.S. in Human Environmental Science. Upon graduation, she was presented with the “Outstanding Senior in Human Environmental Sciences” award in recognition of academic excellence. During her time at the University of Alabama, Rachel served on the board of the Distance Student Dietetic Association, as a student liaison for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and as a volunteer at local schools to help develop their lunch programs. She continues to volunteer as an intern for WITI, a national project that promotes weight-inclusive care in dietetics. Rachel also holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Arizona, a degree contributing to her excellent abilities to engage with the community, perform research, write and edit. Aside from nutrition, other passions include gardening, travel, reading and time with family and friends.

Tiffany Carvalho is a dedicated, hard-working person in every area she strives towards. She earned her B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2026. She transferred from Diablo Valley College, where she obtained three A.S. degrees in Health Education, Allied Health - Biology, and Nutrition and Dietetics for Transfer. During this time, she discovered her passion for helping people as well as her passion for food and healthcare. Beyond her time in the classroom, she has dedicated more than a decade to volunteering in her Brazilian American multicultural community, where she teaches and mentors children, leads educational activities and serves in various other leadership roles. These experiences have reinforced her passion for education, service and helping individuals build healthy habits from an early age. Her goal is to become a registered dietitian who combines evidence-based practice with empathy towards others to help people prevent and manage chronic disease while improving their overall quality of life in the areas of clinical nutrition, diabetes care or community nutrition. Tiffany believes that nutrition is more than food — it is a powerful tool for improving health, supporting communities and helping people live healthier, more fulfilling lives.

Alyssa Clark graduated from Sacramento State University with her B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2024. During her final semester at Sacramento State, she took a community nutrition course and interned at Ronald McDonald House Charities. This experience prompted her desire to obtain more experience working with the patients and their families. Before starting her master’s degree, she took a year off to work at the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Sacramento. She provided excellent service to pediatric patients and their families during an extremely difficult time in their lives. Growing up, she faced significant medical challenges. Although she received care from registered dietitians, the guidance felt impersonal and consisted of generic nutrition advice instead of being personalized to her. She received her M.S. in Nutritional Biology from UC Davis. While at UC Davis, she shadowed Ph.D. students who were researching the gut-brain axis in mouse models of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Angelman Syndrome. Her goal is to work with pediatric patients and their families who have Inflammatory Bowel Disease in an outpatient setting. Alyssa is looking forward to getting more experience in the field and becoming a well-rounded dietitian.

Rose Haber graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics: Concentration in Dietetics and Nutritional Sciences from SFSU in 2026. Prior to SFSU, she received an A.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from San Jose City College in 2024. She is currently completing her M.S. and DI at SFSU to pursue a career as a registered dietitian. While finishing her undergraduate degree, she accumulated over 200 hours of volunteer work at San Francisco Veterans Affair Medical Center and Island Community Food Bank. Some of her responsibilities at the SFVAMC included meeting with patients and long-term care residents to receive meal feedback, working closely with the food service staff in the kitchen and assisting the dietitians with preparing educational packets. Rose is passionate about learning about other cultures and connecting with people through food, hoping to make healthier eating accessible to her future patients regardless of their background. She enjoys spending her free time drawing or doing outdoor activities such as hiking and swimming.

Monika Hakobyan graduated cum laude from SFSU in 2026 with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics. As an undergraduate, Monika worked as a Lead CalFresh Student Assistant at the University's Basic Needs Center, where she helped students and community members access vital food assistance resources. Through this role, she developed a strong interest in community nutrition, food security and health equity while gaining valuable experience working with diverse populations. Fluent in Armenian and Russian, Monika values building meaningful connections with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and is committed to providing patient-centered, culturally sensitive and evidence-based nutrition care. Her professional interests include clinical nutrition and expanding access to nutrition services for underserved communities. Monika is confident that the SFSU DI and M.A. in FCS Program will provide the knowledge, clinical training and hands-on experience needed to achieve one of her greatest professional goals: helping individuals make meaningful, lasting improvements to their health and celebrating their success as they reach their personal wellness goals. Monika looks forward to strengthening her clinical skills, broadening her knowledge of nutrition and dietetics and preparing for a career becoming an RD/RDN. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and baking especially with her family who loves to explore new flavors, reading scientific books and staying active through sports.

Falon Hanna believes that food is medicine and a valuable resource that should and can be used to optimize everyone’s life. She earned her B.S. in Nutritional Sciences from the Texas Christian University College of Science and Engineering. During her undergraduate years, she served as president of the TCU Women’s Club Soccer Team and interned with TCU Athletics, Doherty Nutrition and Tugboat Institute. After leaving Texas, she lived in Park City, Utah, as a ski instructor and realized her love for working with kids before moving to the Bay Area. Falon grew up partly in Portland, Oregon, and partly in Sun Valley, Idaho, where she ski-raced and developed a deep appreciation for the mountains. She fostered a passion for cross-cultural learning through growing up in a Spanish immersion school and this passion has also manifested in studying abroad in Madrid, learning French and backpacking through Peru and Southeast Asia. She loves spending as much time as possible outside in the sun and especially enjoys hiking, backpacking, skiing, reading and connecting with all the beautiful people in her life. She is excited to explore all of the farmers' markets that San Francisco has to offer and immerse herself in the nutrition community.

Sydnie Maltz earned her M.S. in Human Nutrition from Colorado State University in 2026 and holds a B.S. in Health and Human Sciences from Loyola Marymount University. She is currently completing her dietetic internship through SFSU. Sydnie is passionate about gastrointestinal health and providing evidence-based care to those managing a variety of health conditions. She enjoys working with a wide range of people. During her graduate education, Sydnie worked as a research assistant in an intestinal health lab and as a graduate teaching assistant, as well as volunteered in food service at a pay-what-you-can café. Her research on the effects of microalgae on digestive health in healthy adults with mild to moderate gastrointestinal symptoms was published in Nutrients. Previously, Sydnie volunteered at a nonprofit medical clinic and worked as an undergraduate research assistant on studies related to bone health. Sydnie strives to help people make dietary changes in a realistic and sustainable way to support their health and manage their conditions. In her free time, Sydnie enjoys walking her dog, hiking and cooking.

Ceren Merdan earned her B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics in Istanbul, Türkiye, and is currently completing her dietetic internship while pursuing an M.S. in Nutrition at SFSU. She is passionate about helping individuals improve their health through practical, evidence-based nutrition care and sustainable lifestyle changes. Through her education and training in both Türkiye and the United States, Ceren has gained experience in clinical nutrition, community nutrition and nutrition education while working with diverse populations. She values providing individualized, culturally responsive nutrition care and has developed skills in nutrition assessment, patient counseling and community outreach. Her professional interests include clinical nutrition, sports, nutrition and women's health. As a former competitive swimmer, she developed an early appreciation for the role of nutrition in health, performance and recovery, which continues to inspire her work. Living, studying and traveling in several countries has strengthened her cultural awareness and shaped her patient-centered approach to care. Outside of nutrition, Ceren enjoys swimming, cooking, exploring new coffee shops, traveling and discovering different cuisines. As a future registered dietitian, she hopes to empower individuals to build healthier relationships with food and improve their overall well-being through compassionate, evidence-based nutrition care.

Ana Karen Quinones Monsivais graduated from SFSU in 2024 with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics. She is the first member of her family to attend and graduate from college. Before beginning her dietetic internship, Ana spent seven years at the Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley, where she worked as a benefits counselor, helping patients access public benefits and support services. While completing her bachelor's degree, Ana worked as a health services representative at the PACE and Infectious Disease Clinic of Santa Clara Valley and as a lab technician for Sutter Health. In addition to her healthcare experience, Ana volunteered with 18 Reasons, where she taught nutrition and cooking classes through the Cooking Matters program for low-income families. Ana's passion for nutrition began through her family's experiences after immigrating to the United States from Mexico at the age of eight. Growing up with limited access to healthcare, she learned firsthand the important role that nutrition and healthy habits can play in preventing and managing disease. She hopes to become a clinical registered dietitian, combining her bilingual skills, healthcare experience and passion for patient education to empower individuals to improve their health through nutrition. Outside of nutrition, Ana enjoys hiking, spending time in nature and reading.

Jerry Reyes graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Nutritional Science with a concentration in Dietetics from San Jose State University. He also holds an M.S. in Nutritional Science with a concentration in dietetics from SJSU. During his undergrad, he was part of SJSU's Nutrition and Food Science Club, where he served as treasurer and helped with the organization of campus events. He discovered his passion for dietetics while working on an undergraduate project in which he was assigned a student-athlete to develop nutrition-based goals. Additionally, in his master's program, he, alongside his mentor, developed a six-week nutrition education program for student-athletes at SJSU to enhance nutrition knowledge and cooking confidence. Both of these experiences have directed him towards his goal of becoming an RD today. He enjoys hiking around his hometown on the Monterey Peninsula and he is an avid gym-goer. He is a massive fan of mixed martial arts, specifically the UFC, and notes that he has trained in kickboxing. Due to some of his family members having renal difficulties, he has chosen to aim for a renal specialization in his future career as an RD and also would like to become a junior professor at some point in his career.

Paolo Santillan graduated with honors from SFSU and earned his M.S. in Dietetics from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He has more than 18 years of experience in food and nutrition services across healthcare systems throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. He began his career as a nutrition care specialist (68M) in the United States Army and progressed from frontline clinical food service to leadership roles overseeing patient services, retail and catering operations across multiple healthcare settings. Paolo believes in improving nutrition outcomes through strong leadership, collaboration, and process and policy improvement. His diverse background has given him a broad perspective on how effective management supports high-quality patient care. As he continues his training as a registered dietitian, he is committed to strengthening his clinical knowledge and skills to bridge the gap between evidence-based nutrition care and operational leadership. Outside of work and school, Paolo enjoys exploring specialty coffee shops, traveling, attending live music events, and discovering new restaurants and cuisines. He also values spending quality time with friends and family, whether gathering around great food or a favorite board game.

Brianna Tong graduated with a B.S. in Clinical Nutrition with a minor in Public Health from UC Davis in 2026. Her nutrition journey started in high school as a nutrition intern at Kaiser Permanente. Throughout her undergrad, she worked as a nutritional services aide for a skilled nursing facility in Davis, a dietetic student intern for the UC Davis Early Laboratory School and a food service worker for Latitude Dining Hall at UC Davis. She held leadership roles such as copresident of the Student Nutrition Association and the undergraduate representative on the UC Davis Picnic Day Nutrition Committee. Brianna participated in research through interning at the Nutrition Policy Institute and as a student researcher for the ORIANE lab at UC Davis. She volunteered in organizations such as Kids in Nutrition and UC Davis Living Well as an intuitive eating counselor. Brianna is a Bay Area native who, as a registered dietitian, plans to give back to her Chinese community and encourage cultural competency in healthcare. She is interested specifically in pediatrics and disease prevention. Outside of her studies, she loves to go to the gym, go hiking around SF, or try new food spots around the Bay!