Interns and Students
Much of our work couldn’t happen without the students from UNC-Chapel Hill and beyond who join our team as interns, youth ambassadors, and child nutritionists to work on nutrition education materials, cooking programs with kids, and more.
Learn about some of our recent intern team members below. If you’re interested in being a part of the team, contact Jessica Soldavini.
Fall 2022
Jennifer Beightley
Degree Program: Master of Public Health in Nutrition
Hometown: Roscoe, IL
Projects: School Meals for All NC Campaign and College Student Food Security
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: Food security is crucial to a person’s ability to realize their life goals and dreams, and I wanted to learn how to help create food secure environments for North Carolinians.
Fun fact: If I could hike every single day, I would! My favorites include Dragon’s Back in Hong Kong, hiking all the sand dunes in Provincetown, MA, Castle Mountain Lookout Trail in Banff National Park, Canada, and every trail in South Mountain State Park in NC.
Alicia Gunawan
Degree Program: MPH in RD
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Projects: Nutrition Education Resources
Julia Hedelman
Degree Program: Master of Public Health in Nutrition
Hometown: San Francisco Bay Area, California
Projects: Cooking Matters
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I am excited to work with CHI because its mission aligns closely with my passions for health equity, community engagement, and making good food!
Fun fact: For fun, I temporarily decided change my name to Peppa from first to eighth grade. It stuck for all those years!
Reagan Hunt
Degree Program: Bachelor of Science in Biology
Hometown: Clayton, NC
Projects: Cooking Matters
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I chose to become involved with CHI because my passion for cooking and nutrition started at an early age, so I want to help young students do the same.
Fun fact: I have been in the kitchen set of the Today Show!
Reva Kodre
Degree Program: Bachelors in Nutrition Science and Research
Hometown: Chantilly, VA
Projects: Cooking Matters
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: Learn more about and get experience in playing a role in diminishing food insecurity and promoting healthy eating habits.
Fun fact: I’m on a South Asian dance team called Tar Heel Raas!
Daiana Mendoza
Degree Program: Bachelors of Human Development and Family Science and Bachelors of Public Policy
Hometown: Fuquay-Varina, NC
Projects: Cooking Matters
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I love working with children and I also love eating healthy! Being able to combine the two and teach others about how cool food can be is so fun!
Fun fact: I was born on Halloween!
Albert Pan
Degree Program: Bachelor of Science in Public Health — Nutrition
Hometown: Crestwood, KY
Projects: School lunch debt policy research
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I wanted to positively impact school meals and learn more about school lunch policies.
Susannah Pazdan
Degree Program: Master of Public Health in Nutrition
Hometown: Greenville, SC
Projects: Cooking Matters and Nutrition Education Resources
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I chose to get involved with CHI because of the Cooking Matters at Home and Cooking Matters for Kids classes. I hope to work in community nutrition after graduation and CHI’s involvement in the Cooking Matters programs was super exciting for me!
Fun fact: I have an identical twin sister!
Katelyn Rodriguez
Degree Program: BSPH Public Health Nutrition
Hometown: Queens, NY
Projects: Cooking Matters
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I wanted to be more involved in children’s nutrition and learn about current nutritional programs.
Fun fact: I can solve a Rubick’s Cube!
Charlotte Rogus
Degree Program: Master of Public Health in Nutrition
Hometown: Corning, NY
Projects: Cooking Matters
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I chose to get involved with CHI because I am passionate about nutrition education and want to increase access to nutrition education for community members.
Fun fact: I am a triplet! I have two sisters — one identical to me and the other fraternal.
Despina Saffo
Degree Program: Master of Public Health in Nutrition
Hometown: Wilmington, NC
Projects: SNAP E&T Report and Nutrition Education Resources
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I choose to get involved with CHI because I believe they do incredibly valuable work to connect people to healthy meals, and their work with children builds healthy habits that will last a lifetime!
Fun fact: My family is from Ikaria, Greece which is a “blue zone” known for long and healthy lifespans!
Ashka Shah
Degree Program: Master of Public Health in Nutrition / Registered Dietitian
Hometown: Greensboro, NC
Projects: Cooking Matters
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: Everything about nutrition fascinates me and I would love to spread the joy of nutrition, food, and cooking to the world 🙂
Fun fact: I’m a big foodie and share all of my adventures, recipes, and grocery finds on Instagram (@visualvegantaste)!
Andrea Wang
Degree Program: BSPH in Nutrition (health and society)
Hometown: Danville, CA
Projects: Cooking Matters
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I hope to apply my knowledge to help kids learn about nutrition and promote healthy eating habits.
Fun fact: I don’t eat any kind of mushroom.
Katie Wolf
Degree Program: Master of Public Health in Nutrition and Dietetics
Hometown: Charlottesville, VA
Projects: Cooking Matters
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I am working with CHI for my public health dietetic internship with the hopes of becoming a Registered Dietitian!
Fun fact: I have a beagle named Peanut.
Yasmine Wehbi
Degree Program: Bachelors of Public Health — Nutrition Science and Research
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Projects: Cooking Matters at Home
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: Have a passion for teaching and educating people on how to live and maintain healthy lifestyles in a fun way.
Fun fact: Went hiking almost every day of summer 2021 in northern Brazil.
Previous Semesters
Spring 2022
Spring 2022
Claire Blackman
Degree Program: Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
Hometown: Pfafftown, NC
Projects: Cooking Matters for Kids
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I chose to get involved with CHI because CHI actively works to provide nutrition education and healthy meals, and I love that I am able to contribute by sharing my interest in nutrition with kids in a fun and engaging way.
Fun fact: I have been to 40 of the 50 states!
Elizabeth Giering
Degree Program: Master of Public Health in Nutrition
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Projects: Cooking Matters at Home, Harvest of the Month, social media
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I applied to an MPH program because at the time, I wanted a career in public health nutrition, specifically involving nutrition education. While my career goals have changed, my passion for nutrition education and addressing food access disparities hasn’t. CHI gives me a wonderful opportunity to pursue my passions while helping others.
Fun fact: I was a competitive figure skater for most of my life. I still ice skate, and hope to compete again soon!
Keerti Kalluru
Degree Program: Bachelor of Science in Public Health Nutrition and Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies
Hometown: Cary, NC
Projects: Cooking Matters for Kids, Cooking Matters at Home, project on nutrition education resources for adolescents, Project Dash
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I chose to get involved with CHI through my HDFS internship because I wanted to get experience working with children and families while learning more about community-based nutrition programs!
Fun fact: I lived in India for 7 years
Jennie Norka
Degree Program: Master of Public Health in Nutrition
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Projects: Cooking Matters at Home, Cooking Matters for Kids, PORCH Fresh
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I was excited to join CHI to work with and teach community members of all ages about nutrition and enhance their ability to access nutritious food and eat healthy meals!
Fun fact: I like to say I have three pets: my cat, my dog, and my three-year-old sourdough starter!
Albert Pan
Degree Program: Bachelor of Science in Public Health — Nutrition
Hometown: Crestwood, KY
Projects: School lunch debt policy research
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I wanted to positively impact school meals and learn more about school lunch policies.
Delaine Perez
Program: Master of Public Health — Registered Dietitian Program
Hometown: Fort Myers, FL
Projects: Harvest of the Month, Nutrition Education Resources, Social Media
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I chose CHI because of the incredible work they do to connect children to nutritious meals and provide nutrition education to families and their children.
Fun fact: My all-time favorite food is tacos. I love how versatile they can be.
Hundley Rhyne
Degree Program: Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies
Hometown: Lincolnton, NC
Projects: Nutrition education resources
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: As a future high school math teacher, I wanted to expand my knowledge on CHI and learn about the resources available in the communities around us.
Fun fact: I am a North Carolina Teaching Fellow!
Isabel Rodriguez
Degree Program: Master of Public Health in Nutrition/RD
Hometown: Miami, FL
Projects: Cooking Matters for Kids
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: I love working with children and I am interested in promoting healthy behaviors from a young age.
Fun fact: My first time seeing snow was when I moved to North Carolina.
Yasmine Wehbi
Degree Program: Bachelors of Public Health — Nutrition Science and Research
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Projects: Cooking Matters at Home
Why I chose to get involved with CHI: Have a passion for teaching and educating people on how to live and maintain healthy lifestyles in a fun way.
Fun fact: Went hiking almost every day of summer 2021 in northern Brazil.
Spring 2021
Summer 2020
