RDN Spotlight: Marie Revilla PhD, RDN, LD, IBC
WHAT IS YOUR ETHNICITY/RACE?
Native Hawaiian
WHERE/WHEN DID YOU GO TO UNDERGRAD/DIETETIC INTERNSHIP/GRAD SCHOOL?
Dartmouth for my undergraduate degree, Purdue for my graduate degrees, and Iowa State for my supervised practice.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO CHOOSE NUTRITION AND DIETETICS AS A CAREER?
I felt that a career in nutrition and dietetics would give me an opportunity to meaningfully serve the Native Hawaiian community.
Did your family have any customs related to food? What were some of your favorite foods growing up or your favorite memories surrounding food? Please describe.
My grandma always had a bowl of poi on the table. Fresh or sour poi, it didn’t matter, it was available for every meal. Poi is so important for our community. Not only is it the food of our ancestors, our kupuna, but it is so amazing nutritionally. As I get older I seem to enjoy it more and more the sourer it gets!
WHAT DO YOU DO NOW AS AN RDN AND WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY/WEEK LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
I am an Associate Professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The bulk of my time is spent teaching and I love being with our students. Given this role, I spend a lot of time focusing on the curriculum and its associated resources to make sure it reflects the community of students we serve. I am also a wife and mother of three young children so my days often start early in the morning and are broken up between drop-offs, pickups, and appointments. This keeps life “exciting” balancing all of these responsibilities but it all gets done, somehow!
WHAT IS/WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR YOU IN BECOMING A DIETITIAN AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THAT CHALLENGE? THIS CAN BE RELATED TO BEING AN RD OF COLOR OR NOT JUST ANY CHALLENGE?
Having to move away from Hawaii to receive my training and not knowing if I would ever be able to return. Especially for the supervised practice as opportunities are so limited on the islands. Educational expenses plus the costs of moving to the mainland were astronomical but I was honored with the financial support from a number of different organizations which made it all feasible to accomplish. It took me 10 years to come back home but it was all worth it as I have a career that I love serving a community that I love.
Have you had any mentors in your career? if yes, how have those mentors affected your career/life?
I have had so many mentors in my career. If it weren’t for my mentors I would not be where I am today. My mentors believed in me and supported my goals. My mentors advocated for me, listened to me, and were available for me. They provided me with critical feedback but in a way that helped me to build my confidence. My mentors have shaped who I have become and I feel so honored and privileged to have been able to be mentored by such amazing people.
WHY DO YOU THINK DIVERSIFYING THIS FIELD IS IMPORTANT?
This olelo noeau (Hawaiian proverb) sums it up perfectly: 'A'ohe pau ka 'ike i ka halau ho'okahi: All knowledge is not taught in one school. Diversity is so important as it allows us to bring together all this knowledge that is only going to make us better.
WHAT IS A PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE A STUDENT OF COLOR INTERESTED IN ENTERING THE FIELD OF DIETETICS?'
I was told lots of times that I wasn’t good enough or that I only was selected to meet a “quota.” Use that as motivation. See these barriers as opportunities to demonstrate how awesome we are and that we deserve a seat at the table.