Susannah Schools

“It’s a little bit of a story,” said former business consultant and future registered dietitian Susannah Schools, when asked about her career change.

“I wanted to go into consulting because I wanted to help people do things better,” Schools continued. She held positions as a consultant and in ecommerce after she earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and French at Georgetown University, but the work wasn’t what she expected.

She then earned a master’s degree in social anthropology at the London School of Economics.

“It’s the study of all people in all places at all times,” she said, explaining that the wide lens appealed to her. She finished that degree as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning, complicating her search for her next professional role.

In the interim, she tutored and — a longtime yoga student — joined an online yoga teacher training, which inspired her to make some lifestyle changes.

“I was thinking about my diet more,” she said. “I became vegetarian. I was trying different kinds of produce and Googling the health benefits of each one.”

Schools noticed that the online articles she found most helpful were by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (sometimes called Registered Dietitians) — and soon she was Googling information about how to become an RDN.

She lived in Seattle by then, and found Russell Sage College’s Nutrition and Dietetics master’s program through another fortuitous online search.

“It’s a simple thing,” she said, “but there’s a video there with Professor Hauser talking about her experience being head of the department, and what she likes about it, and I just got a sense of warmth and an inclusiveness.”

Schools also saw that Sage’s Nutrition programs are accredited by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and that the Nutrition and Dietetics degree is designed specifically for individuals without an undergraduate degree in nutrition — she’d just need to take a few science prerequisites.

She traveled to Russell Sage’s Troy campus for a graduate open house, decided to apply, and began her Nutrition and Dietetics master’s in fall 2023.

Her favorite part of the program so far is how the professors share so much of their own varied professional experiences — in clinical roles, research, academia, and more — with their students and emphasize the variety of career paths available in the nutrition field.

She mentions Assistant Professor Martha Wasserbauer’s metabolism lectures. “It’s been interesting to hear her share her experiences with us, and give us examples of working with actual patients. She brings a lot of energy to class. It’s metabolism at 8 a.m., but she’s excited about it, which is fun.”

Schools anticipates finishing her master’s degree in 2025, then enrolling in a Dietetic Internship program, which is required to take the exam for the RDN credential. After that, she’s leaning toward a clinical role in a hospital or health care practice.

“One thing I think is really interesting is how diet affects mental health,” she said. “It’s something we are learning so much more about at this point. I think that could be a really interesting area to work in.”