RDN Spotlight: Nkechi Okpara, MS, RDN
I’m getting my Ph.D. in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior. It’s a four-year program at the University of South Carolina under the Arnold School of Public Health. I just finished the first semester of my second year, and things are starting to feel new, overwhelming, exciting, and exhausting.
During the summer after my first year, I sat for my qualifying exam. The timeline of when students sit for their exams vary by program and school. This exam covers topics that I’ve learned during the first year of my program. The qualifying exam is a benchmark for a Ph.D. student, it, more or less, validates that I’ve mastered theories and concepts, and I’m able to apply the materials to my own line of research (dissertation). I passed this fall and am still transitioning from a student to a candidate. There are just a few minor steps that I still have to take, which involves choosing my program of study committee.
A role of a Ph.D. student is so different, and I don’t mean this by just comparing programs or schools, but different even from person to person. You may have someone in the same cohort (class) or research team as you, but you two could be doing very different things in terms of tasks and responsibilities. Here is a breakdown of some things that I am currently doing or will do in the near future.
Courses
I am required to take classes for the first two years of school. I take about 3-4 courses a semester, or 9-10 credits. Next semester, I’ll take more courses than usual, but it’ll still come out to 9 credits.
Classes that I am taking next semester:
An independent study with my advisor, Dr. Brie. I will be working on a paper that I started early in 2020 but haven’t made much progress on.
A grant writing course so I can use the skills to hopefully fund a grant for my dissertation.
An advanced stats/research methods course; this is required for my program and is helpful for my research.
A graduate writing and presentation course. I want any practical skills that would help me with publishing or speaking at conferences.
A graduate seminar course. Every 1st and 2nd-year student is required to take this course.
After doing two years of courses, I’ll begin my dissertation process. This is where I independently complete a research project and defend it in front of a committee to earn my doctorate. Right now, I’m ironing out my ideas for this project. I know the population that I want to work with is teenage high school girls.
Graduate Assistantship Research Team
Along with taking courses, I do research under my advisor and her team—well also my team lol. Like the coursework, this is also for two years and it prepares me to conduct my own research. My advisor is leading a two-year study called the Nutritious Eating with Soul (NEW Soul) study. This study looks at the impact that two culturally tailored soul food diets, vegan or low-fat omnivorous (omni), have on the African American population living at or around Columbia, SC. My role included/includes leading the physical activity portion, facilitating nutrition lessons, helping with food preparation, and moderating the Facebook accounts.
Independent Research Project
I am currently working on a manuscript (research paper to be submitted for a journal publication) for a focus group that I help lead earlier in 2020. This process is really involved. This is what I meant when I said that things started to feel “new”. I’m learning the peer review process. I’ve learned that journals have their own guidelines on how papers should be submitted. I’m learning the art of writing succinctly and clear. I’m learning that less is best, and even less than that is better. I’m high energy at first, but I know that I get exhausted pretty easily. I’m learning how to spread my energy and pace myself at the beginning, so I’ll have enough left at the end. I’m hopeful about this end-product though. This will be my first-authored paper, so it will be very meaningful.
Service/Leadership
I am an ambassador for the South Carolina Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (SCAND) Diversity Committee. I am part of the marketing team where I will deliver presentations to students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and high schools, who may be interested in pursuing a career in dietetics. This is something that I’m really excited about because, I’ve always found myself in the “advising based on my experiences” positions. This will be fun.
Contact
You can contact me via my media page @two_forces.