RDN Spotlight: Sakarrai Lavallee, MS, RDN
What is your ethnicity/race? Did your family have any customs related to food? Please describe.
African American, my family used to have soul food Sundays where we would eat foods such as fried chicken, oxtails, greens, and cornbread
Where/when did you go to undergrad/dietetic internship/grad school?
I attended the US Military Baylor Graduate Program in Nutrition and recently graduated in 2021.
Why did you decide to choose nutrition and dietetics as a career?
I chose to become an Army dietitian so I could teach Soldiers healthier eating habits and prevent the spread of misinformation towards fad diets. Many Soldiers resort to the use of fad diets in order to shed body weight quickly but fail to realize it is only temporary.
What do you do now as an RDN and what does a typical day/week look like for you?
I am an outpatient dietitian working at a military facility in fort Stewart, GA. Currently a typical day for me includes teaching classes on fit for performance and revamping computrition (patient diet orders, supplement inventory, etc.) I am also responsible for maintaining my military training as well.
What is/was the biggest challenge for you in becoming a dietitian and how did you overcome that challenge? This can be related to being an RD of color or not just any challenge?
The biggest challenge for me was being the only person of color in my internship program. I had severe imposter syndrome and felt like I shouldn’t be there. It took several discussions with my mentor for me to realize that I worked just as hard as anyone else in the program and deserved to be there.
Have you had any mentors in your career if yes how have those mentors affected your career/life?
Yes, several. They boosted my confidence in my capabilities and offered guidance as I progressed through the program. I should mention that I was pregnant with our first child during the internship and received support from internship director and site coordinator which was amazing.
Why do you think diversifying this field is important?
I think it’s important to let other individuals who may want to become RDs or RDNs know that persons of color actually work in this field. I had no idea there were black dietitians until I joined this group! Diversification can also play a much larger role when it comes to clients/patients. Some might feel more comfortable speaking with someone who looks like them and can relate to their customs and culture.
What is a piece of advice you would give a student of color interested in entering the field of dietetics?
First, join diversify dietetics! Second, research imposter syndrome and identify ways to overcome it because at some point it’s a strong possibility you will feel like you don’t belong because they aren’t many that look like you, but you are absolutely right where you need to be!