UTHealth student shares stories from White House internship

Camille Range, a second-year student in the Dietetic Internship Program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, has a passion for educating families on how to lead healthy lifestyles. This passion led to her position as the only intern this summer for First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign.

“I was thrilled to work for a national campaign promoting a healthier generation and I saw this internship as proof of the power of the mind. My mom and I used to joke how I should write First Lady Michelle Obama a letter about how much she has inspired me as an African-American female who focuses on nutrition and being active. Last fall, I decided it was time to put my best foot forward and spent months working on my application. I was fortunate to be accepted to the internship this year, before the administration leaves the White House and during the fifth anniversary of ‘Let’s Move!,’” Range said.

Among Range’s duties were tending to produce and herbs growing in the White House Kitchen Garden, planning events, attending nutrition policy meetings and managing office business for “Let’s Move!”

Every Tuesday, Range would manage a group of volunteers as they weeded, planted and picked produce for the chefs in the kitchen to use. She was especially intrigued by the White House pollinator garden and beehive, the first of its kind on White House grounds.

Range helped organize events such as the Kids State Dinner, which included a student from each state. The students crafted a winning healthy recipe in order to be invited to the dinner at the White House. She also organized the first ever “camp out” with the Girl Scouts on the South Lawn to celebrate the centennials of both the Girl Scouts and the National Park Service.

One of Range’s favorite parts of the summer was working on a campaign called FNV, which brought together “Let’s Move!” and Partnership for a Healthier America to encourage people across the country to eat more fruits and vegetables. Celebrities and athletes who visited the White House over the summer shared a photo of themselves eating a fruit or vegetable to help with the campaign.

Range’s summer in the nation’s capital was made possible by The University of Texas System’s Archer Center’s Graduate Program in Public Policy, which sends students to live and work in Washington D.C. for a summer. The students are responsible for finding their own internships and the fellowship provides them with housing and classes on policy.

Between the Archer Center classes and sitting in on policy meetings at the White House, Range’s view of America’s obesity problem has changed.

“I’ve been working on child obesity issues since I was 15 and this summer, I got to see this problem in a different light. Now I have a more comprehensive view of this problem and how various stakeholders can work together to find a solution. This internship experience exposed me to the impact policy has on nutrition and public health. I am looking forward to a career that allows me to intersect all three areas,” said Range.

In addition to her internship, Range believes her experience at the School of Public Health has helped prepare her for her career.

“Epidemiology classes really gave me an overview of the different research techniques used to diagnose public health problems. I also took a class in management and policy sciences, which helped in breaking down government structure and public health policies,” said Range.

Range is also looking forward to becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist because she believes the evidence-based perspective is important to her work in public health.

The Dietetic Internship Program, part of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at the UTHealth School of Public Health, prepares students to educate communities, families and individuals about healthy food choices and to become community leaders in health. To learn more, visit https://sph.uth.edu/research/centers/dell/dietetic-internship-program/index.htm.