Alumna Sharon Bonsu ’23, ’24MS Receives Pair of Nutrition Awards
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Nutrition alumna Sharon Bonsu, who received her bachelor’s degree in 2023 and master’s in 2024 from UMass Amherst, was recently selected for a pair of prestigious nutrition awards.
In September, Bonsu received the 2025-2026 Mead Johnson Scholarship from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) Foundation. The $3000 scholarship will help support her dietetic internship at the Houston VA program in Texas.
Earlier this year, Bonsu was also selected by the Massachusetts Dietitian’s Education Foundation (MDEF), the philanthropic arm of the Massachusetts Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (MAND), for their Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Scholarship. This $1500 award is given annually to students who are pursuing careers in nutrition and dietetics, or are in dietetic internships.
In selecting her, they noted Bonsu’s commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field, and her passion for increasing access to nutrition education to improve health outcomes and health equity. They also noted her commitment to uplifting underrepresented voices and bringing culturally responsive care to communities that need it most.
“I am extremely grateful to have received not only one, but two scholarships,” she says. “I am very passionate about nutrition. I think most people in this field are. These opportunities truly are blessings, and they remind me of how hard I’ve worked to get this far.”
“I had the most amazing faculty mentors during my time at UMass, and even now that I’ve graduated,” adds Bonsu, explaining that they’ve referred her to scholarships and helped with the process of applying to dietetic internships. “Most dietetic internship programs are very costly, unpaid, and extremely competitive. I am extremely fortunate to be at the Houston VA program here in Texas, which is free and offers a stipend but is extremely competitive to get into!”
After graduating with her MS degree in 2024, Bonsu considered dropping the RD career path despite her love of nutrition. The thought of applying to internships became “overwhelming, unbearable, and too expensive,” she says. “I waited a year after graduating to pursue the [dietetic] internship, but ultimately, I’m glad I took that chance and applied. Each day I’m one step closer to receiving my RD credential and I could not be more excited!”