Dietetics students receive scholarship from international food service organization

January 29, 2014 — Three K-State dietetics students are recipients of a scholarship from the prestigious International Foodservice Manufacturers Association.

Cynthia Arias-Dowling, senior from Miami, Fla., and Jennifer Morris, senior from Rockledge, Fla., each received an IFMA Educational Foundation Scholarship in the amount of $5,000. Jacy Lucas, junior from Osawatomie, was awarded a $1,000 IFMA International Gold and Silver Plate Society internship stipend.

All three students work in various roles at dining centers operated by K-State's housing and dining services, and plan to use the skills they've learned there and through courses in the university’s top-ranked dietetics program to begin careers in the food industry.

"With the mentorship I've received over this past year, I have not only learned the day-to-day operations of an organization but also the human factor and what it is to be a leader," said Arias-Dowling. “This contribution has given me an opportunity to dedicate more of my time to leadership opportunities and be financially stable as I enter a new phase of my career and apply to the Coordinated Program of Dietetics at K-State this spring."

The association chose K-State to receive the scholarship funds in recognition of the leadership provided by Mary Molt and John Pence, associate directors of housing and dining services and registered dietitians. Each year, IFMA presents Silver Plate Awards to nine outstanding achievers in the food service industry, from which one is chosen to receive the Gold Plate Award. Pence is a 1987 Silver Plate Award recipient and Molt won both the Silver Plate and Gold Plate awards in 2012. A team of hospitality management and dietetics faculty selected the three recipients from students who displayed promise and excellent leadership qualities.

"Cynthia, Jennifer and Jacy have worked hard to make the most of their experience at K-State," Pence said. "These students took advantage of the resources available to them in the classroom and the dining center to learn what it takes to be successful in the food service industry."

IFMA is a leading food service trade organization that comprises more than 300 of the world's most prestigious food, equipment and supply manufacturers in the $600 billion food service industry. Since 1972, The IFMA Educational Foundation has provided more than $1 million in scholarships to students learning about the food service industry.