Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project aims to develop…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project aims to develop culturally aware leaders and role models from underrepresented minority college students (umcs) who will be advocates for: diversity in the profession; the profession at large; underserved community members; and for policy change. Diversity in dietetics is an issue as the vast majority of dietitians are white, not representing the population they serve. We will implement a becoming culturally aware leaders (bcal) scholars program; a cohort of primarily umcs graduate/undergraduate students will be provided with scholarships and training in an academic year via completing a foundational minicourse and participating monthly meetings to learn how storytelling can be used to advance cultural responsiveness, and maximize effectiveness of leadership, mentoring, and advocacy. They will complete a leadership/advocacy project to implement their skills, and will serve as mentors for dietetic students after their first semester being mentored by a professional. Students in the social work department will CO-facilitate bcal scholars meetings. A video of dietitians from underrepresented groups telling the stories of their experience in dietetics will be compiled. Intended impacts are to 1) support umcs in becoming confident leaders; 2) develop projects that allow students to implement leadership and advocacy skills; and 3) increase cultural awareness/humility among all dietetics majors. During the granting period, a total of 60 undergraduate/graduate students from two universities will participate. Continuation of the program has been planned. The components of this project will be compiled in a bcal toolkit that will be available for all dietetics and agricultural programs.