Isabella

Izzy is a homeschooled sophomore from Spokane, Washington. As someone who has struggled with a metabolic issue, she became interested in the relationship between nutrition and health during her advanced science classes. Living in a community where 22% of children are in families with income below the poverty line, she sees the effects of lack of nutritional awareness on the development of young people. In addition to public health, she is involved with the YMCA Youth & Government program and is passionate about music and the performing arts. She studies opera, composes music, sings at retirement homes, and also co-wrote a novel with her sister. Her HERlead project, CHOMP (Children’s Healthy Options for Meal Planning), will help teach low-income families nutritional skills such as how to read food labels, navigate a grocery store, and plan healthy meals on a limited budget through workshops. Her goal is for each participant to not only come away with more knowledge but also a crockpot and recipe book. Long term meal planning could help break the cycle of lack of nutritional education and create a healthier community.