BCAL Scholars Program

• Foundations Minicourse: A 10 clock-hour minicourse on foundational concepts related to storytelling, cultural awareness and humility, leadership, mentoring, and advocacy will be completed at the beginning of the program. The asynchronous component of this minicourse will be completed prior to the half-day Program Orientation, which will occur at the beginning of the fall semester.
• Monthly Seminars: The Scholars will meet in-person three times throughout the semester for a two-hour Seminar in a “safe space of belonging” to learn how to use storytelling effectively in leadership, advocacy, and mentoring through a culturally aware lens. Graduate students from the Social Work Department at MSU Denver will serve as facilitators for these meetings.
• Book Club: Scholars from MSU Denver will be matched with a Scholar from Cal Poly Pomona as pen pals to select one book each semester from a selection on different aspect of the grant project to read together. Pen pals will schedule Teams or Zoom meetings to discuss their books, and Social Work graduate students can be invited to facilitate discussions.
• Mentoring Program: Scholars will be matched with a dietetic professional who will serve as their mentor throughout the program. Scholars will implement mentoring skills developed by mentoring a Nutrition/Dietetics student at an earlier stage in their education/training in dietetics.
• Leadership Project: Each Scholar will complete a leadership project to implement their skills related to leadership, advocacy, and/or cultural awareness.

• Must be an MSU Denver Human Nutrition – Dietetics student or Dietetic Intern in good standing pursuing the requirements to become an RDN.
• Must be declared as a Human Nutrition – Dietetics, Nutrition and Dietetics, or Nutrition and Dietetics Accelerated BS to MS major OR a Nutrition graduate student OR a MSU Denver Dietetic Intern. Undergraduates must be in their Junior or Senior year during the program.
• Must be enrolled full-time (12 credit hours for undergraduates, 6 credit hours for graduate student, or Dietetic Intern).
• Must be willing to commit to the one academic year program.

• Videotaped interviews of diverse practicing registered dietitians discussing their path to dietetics, challenges they have encountered and how they overcame them, and advice to future dietitians. Scholars can work with Dr. Alfredo Sanchez, Emmy winning videographer from MSU Denver’s Journalism Department on various aspects of this project.
• Food demonstrations for the community. The grant has purchased a “mobile kitchen” that can be taken off campus for cooking demonstrations focused on cultural foods and/or healthy cooking on a budget.
• Work with an RDN (can be a faculty member) on a nutrition policy issue; project to increase awareness of the nutrition needs of underserved populations; project to increase awareness of the importance of RDNs as the food and nutrition experts.

1. Complete a general scholarship application. Students must first apply to the general scholarship application to receive access to the BCAL Scholars Program application.
2. Complete the BCAL Scholars application. You will gain access to this application only after completing the general scholarship application above. You will need to list two references: at least one Nutrition instructor. As part of the BCAL Scholars Program application, you must thoroughly and thoughtfully answer the following questions:

• Why did you choose dietetics as a profession?
• What are your personal and professional goals?
• How do you think this program will help you achieve your goals?
• You will also provide a cultural awareness and humility* statement that includes how your lived experiences informs your interest in working with underrepresented communities. This is where you tell your “story.”

*Cultural awareness and humility is the ability to recognize and respect the differences and similarities between cultures. It involves being sensitive to the beliefs, values, and customs of others. It includes the ability to recognize and respect the differences and similarities between cultures, recognizing that learning about other cultures involves self-reflection and a willingness to learn about other cultures.