Manuel Lopez - 2025 Graduate Hood Recipient

Manuel Lopez - Master of Arts, Family and Consumer Sciences

Manuel recently completed his studies and is now a clinical dietitian providing medical nutrition therapy for hospitalized patients. He is a first-generation college student and child of immigrant farmworkers, navigated complex academic systems, financial aid, employment, and housing without family guidance. He became interested in studying nutrition when he realized his parents did not have access to healthcare and lacked the financial resources and knowledge to access healthy foods. Having experienced food insecurity, he understands the importance of community nutrition resources and will advocate for and promote these to his patients.

At SF State, Manuel completed a 10-month dietetic internship, providing nutrition services to at-risk populations, including at Meals on Wheels, a Federally Qualified Health Center serving underserved populations, focused on reducing food insecurity and health disparities, and at a hospital providing care for adults and children. He also worked as a dietetic technician throughout the internship and graduate school. Manuel always performed above expectations in internship rotations and was entrusted with higher-level responsibilities than typically given to interns. His culminating experience addressed the nutritional needs of premature and high-risk infants in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Manuel exemplifies the successful SF State graduate student through his work ethic, determination, resilience, calm demeanor, humbleness, empathy, and passion for working with the underserved.