As a first time APHA attendee, I was overwhelmed from the moment I looked at the schedule.  And stepping into the room that held 13,000 other attendees during the opening remarks slightly exacerbated that feeling!  Luckily, a friendly face behind me in line at the Starbucks, who turned out to be Patti Risica, the immediate past chairperson of FNS, who graciously took me under her wing and led the way to the first FNS business meeting of the conference.  Call it luck or call it divine, but that initial run-in with Patti paved the way for my experiences throughout the rest of the conference.

The FNS business meetings were full of opportunities to network and become acquainted with nutrition polices and practices in the public health nutrition world.  I was equally impressed by the Section sessions, which offered panels from issues on breastfeeding and school wellness programs, to obesity and “mindless eating.”  There were more sessions offered than I could attend, but all of the ones I went to were a good depiction of what public health practice is like outside the classroom.  As an MPH/Nutrition candidate, I look forward to being involved in future APHA Food and Nutrition opportunities because the professional and personal support I received from the group was both singular and encouraging.  I am extremely fortunate to have gone to the APHA Annual Meeting in San Diego and hope to build more professional and personal relationships through each opportunity.