Vanessa Estrada: An Èxito! Grad Teaches Latinos How to Eat Tasty (and Healthy) Food

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Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program.

Vanessa Estrada
San Antonio, Texas

Growing up in Texas with a family that whipped up delicious foods like chili using the stone molcajete, Vanessa Estrada knows the value of food in the Latino culture.

And she knows that food needs to be tasty and nutritious.

She wanted to bring that knowledge to others, so she became a registered dietician and earned a bachelor’s degree in community health education from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and a master’s degree in nutrition from the University of the Incarnate Word.

She now teaches nutrition education seminars San Antonio as an adjunct faculty at UTSA and across South Texas, including her hometown of Carrizo Springs.

At the suggestion of a mentor and to advance her knowledge in her field, Estrada applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which offers a five-day summer institute and internships to encourage master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career.

She lauds the program for exposing her to quality information from leading scientists and mentors about pursuing a doctoral education.

“After the valuable information provided to us [at Éxito! Summer Institute], I feel more confident about applying to a doctoral program,” Estrada said. “I feel I have the skills and knowledge to succeed.”

Éxito!, a program funded by the National Cancer Institute and directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, will select 20 master’s-level students and health professionals from across the nation to attend a five-day summer institute in June 2015, in San Antonio, offering research information, tools, tips, role models and motivation to encourage participants to pursue a doctoral degree and a career studying how cancer affects Latinos differently. Participants also are eligible to apply for one of several internships. Apply here.