Dear Friedman Community,
My name is Jesse Roberts and I am a first year student studying biochemical and molecular nutrition in the combined MS/MPH track at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and the School of Medicine. It is an honor to be a graduate student at Tufts University. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those who have given me this opportunity. The scholarship funding made possible by the generous gifts from alumni and friends of the school allow me to pursue an education and a career that I would otherwise not be able to.
Tufts is strongly committed to practical learning, research and civic engagement, which embody the best elements of higher education. The emphasis on scholarship in the context of a broader social agenda is one of the things that drew me to Tufts. I believe that human health and the maintenance of our wellbeing may be largely managed through the careful manipulation of our environment and behaviors. 
It is hard to find academic settings that blend the rigorous study of research science with cutting edge social science theory and civic action. The Friedman School achieves this and I believe it offers the very best training to future leaders in the field. Tufts not only prepares students to deal with how an individual’s health is affected by their nutrition and physical environment, but also to understand how sociological, cultural, and economic factors affect the quality of life.
I am currently working with the John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition, where I hope to gain more exposure to community-based participatory research. This type of research was used in the Shape Up Somerville study which aimed to bring energy intake and expenditure into balance by working at multiple levels within the community to increase opportunities for physical activity and the availability of healthy foods at school, at home, and in the neighborhoods. Next semester I will start research in one of the many labs at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA). I have also been able to volunteer at the Sharewood clinic, the student-run medical clinic of Tufts Medical School, in order to gain further experience in the clinical environment.
I hope to continue my education beyond graduate school to pursue a career in medicine. This unusual path presents a great financial challenge; however my experience at the Friedman School is providing invaluable knowledge and skills that I can carry with me into the study and practice of medicine. The cost of this program in addition to impending medical school debt would prohibit the fulfillment of my aspirations without the generous support that I have been so fortunate to receive from the Friedman School annual fund.
Sincerely,
Jesse Roberts
MS/MPH candidate '11
BMN Program
Tufts University
The Gerald J. & Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Give students, like Jesse, the opportunity to follow their dreams - Make a gift to the Nutrition Annual Fund today, click here
