Fernanda Ariza Perez

Area of Expertise

Fernanda is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Educator for Will and Kankakee Counties. Her role focuses on implementing policy, systems and environmental changes to fight obesity and improve the quality of life for our most vulnerable sectors in the community. She achieves this by educating organizations serving low-income individuals around these issues and offering them the tools to create an environment that makes the healthy choice the easy choice for their employees and their clients. Her services include the implementation of community assessments like focus groups, surveys and one on ones to help guide her partner organizations’ work according to their client’s current health and cultural needs. She has demonstrated expertise in working with diverse audiences, is fluent in both English and Spanish and excels in culturally interpreting and integrating multiple nutrition curricula, ensuring a more functional and culturally relevant experience for demographically diverse audiences. 

In addition, her work also involves coalition work around food access, and the formulation and implementation of written policies around nutrition and food safety at schools, early childhood centers, health clinics, and pantries. She also provides continuing education or professional development opportunities to schools through SNAP-Ed’s partnership with ISBE and is a NAP SAAC consultant for early childcare centers. Her overarching goal is to create sustainable systems of interdisciplinary departments working together to increase equality, inclusivity, access and generational wealth.

Background

Fernanda has an interdisciplinary background in Science and Nutrition Education. In 2017, she earned a Master of Science in Life Sciences from the Center for Scientific Research & Higher Education of Ensenada, in Baja California, MX, and a Bachelor of Science in Oceanography from the Autonomous University of Baja California (2015). She is a certified Nutrition Educator, Food Handling Manager, and Mental Health First Aid since 2020. She comes with 8 years of experience in Biomedical Research, has published two thesis papers related to microbiomes and the search of bioactive compounds from marine resources for Pharmaceutical/Biomedical purposes. Before joining the University of Illinois Extension she worked as a Quality Control Lab tech for a clinical lab offering precision medicine for cancer patients, called Tempus. There she focused on writing safety operating procedures for testing personnel as well. Later, she joined the University of Illinois offering nutrition education to adults and children in Joliet, IL., as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed). 

Awards

In 2021, her adult nutrition programs received local recognition from the Joliet Public Library for being the “Program of the Week” in two consecutive periods. In 2019, she was awarded SNAP-Ed’s “Rookie of the Year” for her contributions in translating, developing and culturally adapting several adult and youth nutrition state programs for SNAP-Ed. 

Education:

M.S in Life Sciences | Nov 2017

B.S in Oceanography| Aug 2015