KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 24, 2025 – Seven University of Rhode Island students majoring in dietetics in the College of Health Sciences are learning what it takes to become leaders in their field through a joint project with LaGuardia Community College and New York University.

The Inclusive Model for Developing Future Nutrition, Food, and Culinary Leaders program, or IMODEL for short, is funded by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

“IMODEL is an innovative leadership development and mentored experiential learning program for nutrition, food, and culinary undergraduates to prepare for post-graduate opportunities, increase content knowledge, and build a community of practice,” said Ingrid Lofgren, professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition at URI, who co-leads the program with her counterparts from the other two institutions.

IMODEL Fellows commit to 13 weekly workshops via Zoom during the spring semester, a summer internship, and professional development and a virtual presentation toward the end of the fall semester at which the students from all three institutions talk about their summer internship experience.

At the start of the program and at the conclusion of each of the three components, students complete surveys on leadership, problem solving, networking, and belonging. The survey responses and student feedback will be used to measure the success of the program.

Community of practice

A total of 63 students, 21 from each school over three cohorts, will participate in the program.

The weekly workshops include faculty and students from all three institutions.

As part of the program, fellows have attended annual meetings for the American Society for Nutrition and the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Some of the URI fellows will attend a research conference at New York University in October.

Experiential learning

As part of each fellow’s 10-week summer internship, they spend 18 hours each week in their internship position as well as two hours in workshops reflecting on what they’ve learned.

Francesca “Frankie” Albanese, a senior from North Providence, conducted her internship at All Foods Nutrition, a private practice that specializes in digestive health, eating disorders, and women’s health. She shadowed Shira Hirshberg, a registered dietician who opened the practice 11 years ago, during in-person and virtual appointments.

“I enjoyed learning how each eating disorder is unique,” said Albanese. “It takes a special provider to assist in recovery while making the patient feel safe. The internship fueled my dream of owning my own practice someday.”

Olivia LaHue and Finnigan Schwoebel conducted their internships together, splitting it into three different experiences. They used Canva to create artwork for social media posts for the Department of Nutrition and to revamp materials for a course this fall. They also assisted a professor with a SNAP outreach call line for people with questions on their SNAP benefits or those who are interested in applying for SNAP.

“I’ve always been deeply interested in food insecurity,” said Schwoebel, a junior from North Kingstown. “Talking to people who face food insecurity gave me a better understanding of just how relevant the issue is.”

During the last part of their internship, LaHue and Schwoebel prepared food in the kitchen at Camp Surefire, a camp in Rhode Island for children and teens with Type 1 diabetes.

“I counted the carbohydrates in the meals, so that the kids knew how much insulin to give themselves,” said LaHue, a senior from East Greenwich. “The experience taught me about diseases and disorders in which people have different nutritional needs.”

Olivia Skapczynski spent most of her internship at the Milford Farmer’s Market, close to her hometown of Guilford, Connecticut. She answered nutrition-related questions asked by attendees and researched evidence-backed answers to questions for which she didn’t have an immediate answer.

“I learned to communicate with strangers about topics that I didn’t necessarily know were going to come up,” said Skapczynski, who is a senior. “This is a skill we don’t get practice much in college, because we’re always surrounded by people we know.”

Senior Abby Houp did her internship in her home state of Maine for the Good Shepherd Food Bank. The Gorham native created picture recipes for non-English speakers using Canva, attended statewide seminars, and traveled across the state to create social media content for the Farm Fresh Rewards and SNAP programs.

“The experience taught me how community-based programs can improve food access for families across Maine,” said Houp. 

Ella Weidman a junior from Essex Junction, Vermont, who is double majoring in public health, conducted her internship at two Innovative Renal Care dialysis clinics in Westerly and Wakefield, Rhode Island with a registered dietitian.

“I learned a lot about patient interaction, electronic medical records, and everything that goes into the renal diet and dialysis treatments,” said Weidman. “I created educational resources for patients with guidance from the registered dietician and had the opportunity to assess a patient’s food log and offer recommendations. I also learned the calculations for weight change and fluid gain and was taught the markers of significant weight loss.”

Senior Carmen Fiorindo did her internship in URI Professor Isaac Agbemafle’s Sustainable Dietary Innovations Lab. She analyzed qualitative data, wrote a data brief, and made some educational material for caregivers to provide proper nutritional care to their children.

“The IMODEL program has prepared me to achieve my career goals by teaching me important communication skills and forcing me out of my comfort zone,” said Fiorindo.