By Taylor Ware
“I hope this project brings more awareness to the importance of nutrition across the globe,” said sophomore, nutrition and dietetics major Ashley Guldan.
Missouri State University has been selected to spearhead Bridging the Divide which is a national literacy initiative. The initiative is named for its goal to bridge the divide between wealthy and impoverished families regarding reading and writing literacy.
Service-learning students have done an incredible job taking on this project and developing a variety of materials to be shared in-person and online. Ashley Guldan is one of these fantastic students.
Over the summer, Guldan took the 1-credit service-learning course. Her 40 hours were split between working on Bridging the Divide and at Springfield Community Gardens. These community partners came together to form the perfect intersection of her nutrition and education passions.
Guldan began by selecting children’s books related to nutrition and wrote summaries about each one. These summaries are written to help website visitors to select between the many resources. Next, she developed activities to be done in conjunction with each of the books.
The activities vary in nature; many had to do with a specific food mentioned in the book. For example, students can find a healthy recipe and make it with their family or plant a vegetable in a community garden.
Guldan went above and beyond by designing posters for each book and activity. To develop this unique idea, she collaborated with the service-learning director Dr. Kathy Nordyke.
“Ashley did an outstanding job on this global service-learning project. She was just an exceptional student to work with,” said Dr. Nordyke.
These materials can be used in many ways. They could support a lesson plan in a classroom, be displayed in a community center, or serve as the basis for a presentation to a range of audiences.
“I hope the [Bridging the Divide] project grows to fulfill its goal of being a worldwide influence. I want to help children and families to be better educated about nutrition especially in areas where that information isn’t very accessible,” said Guldan.
She is at the start of her degree, but nonetheless shows an impressive perspective on the issue of nutrition. Her interest in the subject spurs from her time spent playing sports in high school. She played volleyball and track and field.
“I’ve always cared about taking care of my body. One of the things I prioritize is not thinking about foods as good or bad. They all have different benefits and drawbacks. It also differs from person to person how a food will impact them.”
Guldan isn’t quite sure where her degree will take her, but she currently hopes to open a private practice or become a professor. No matter where she goes, she intends on education and the community being a part of her work.
Community engagement has always been important to Guldan. Growing up she spent time serving at an open-door food kitchen and in high school, she did at least 20 hours of community service a year. Service-learning was the ideal way to continue this long-held tradition for her.
When asked how service-learning has impacted her, Guldan raved about the experience. She mentioned how gratifying it has been to support her community as well as gain worthwhile career skills. She also mentioned that she will more than likely be able to utilize the materials she created in her future work.
As is evident, Guldan has done an impressive job integrating service-learning into her university experience. However, that is not where her story ends! This fall, Guldan did service-learning again and worked with the vision health program.
“It has helped me become more comfortable with patients, running technology, and reading graphs,” said Guldan. She is only a sophomore, so who is to say this is where her journey ends either.
The service-learning department at Missouri State University is one of the best in the nation. This high-achieving standard would not be possible without students like Ashley Guldan driving it forward. Reach out today to learn how you can do the same.
Melanie Dunker says
I am so proud of you Ashley, this is absolutely incredible! What you have done so far she was to promise for the future. You will do wonderful things!