In September of 2016, I was stunned to learn I would receive one of the Four Pillars Awards granted by the Alumnae Board of Nazareth Academy. This was only the second year they were given. The following is the text of what was said about me:
In the years following her graduation, Christine travelled to St. Paul, Minn. and St. Catherine University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Food and Nutrition. She participated in a Dietetic Traineeship at Unity Hospital in Minnesota from during that time and earned her MBA, with a Marketing Concentration, from DePaul University in 1987. Currently, Christine speaks on wellness and nutrition through presentations to corporations, health care groups and lay groups. She is a regular Good Sense Eating columnist in several publications and does recipe nutrient calculation for magazines, restaurants, cookbooks, food commodity groups and food companies.
For 23 years, Christine was an adjunct faculty member at Benedictine University in the Nutrition Department and Joliet Junior College in the Nursing Department. She has worn the hat of Nutritionist and Dietician at prestigious institutions like Mt. Sinai Hospital in Minneapolis and the University of Chicago Medical Center. Her articles and columns have been published in many notable magazines and journals, namely Health magazine and the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has travelled to numerous places and given presentations on topics ranging from Discussions on Healthy Eating, Eating Disorders and Body Image to Power Food for Heart Health to Nutrition for the Executive Woman. Christine has also made appearances on local and national television, speaking on so many topics ranging from Healthy Halloween Treats, How to Spring Clean your Fridge and Summer Hydration to The Nutritious Alternatives to Milk.
Christine is no stranger to realizing the value of self and others, as she has made this her life’s work. She is out there every day, integrating Christian values in her daily activities and uniting people with God and one another. She mentors dozens of nutrition students, dietetic interns and registered dietician nutritionists, informally and in conjunction with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ E-mentoring program. Christine also volunteers with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at the local, state and national levels. She is a lector and Eucharistic minister at St. Raphael’s in Naperville, where she also is the Child Lector Ministry Coordinator. It is through this ministry that Christine has taught hundreds of children how to proclaim the Word of God and to serve as Commentator in a large church.
Christine has spent her life weaving Christ into her career, her family and her daily life. She has won numerous awards and accolades for her outstanding work, yet, when asked, she says her greatest accomplishments are her three grown children, her 38 year marriage to her husband Charles and the privilege of playing an active role in her four grandchildren’s lives. She personifies the Nazareth Pillar of Unity…
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