Maria Anderson, College of Saint Benedict

Maria Anderson, a junior at College of Saint Benedict, is a student leader active in health and nutrition education. As a part of the Bonner Leader Scholarship program, she has served as an intern for the CentraCare Better Living: Exercise and Nutrition Daily (BLEND) Program, educating the public on healthy lifestyles. She has taught nutrition classes to elementary school students and senior citizens, and organized volunteers for many BLEND sponsored events. Currently, she is assisting in preparing applications for the federal Safe Routes to School grant. Her involvement with BLEND has introduced her to the multitude forms of service including grassroots efforts and policy change. Maria believes the nutrition, physical activity and health of an individual has significant impact of the strength of the society. Her work strives to address social justice issues by engaging strong support from the community, policy makers, educators and advocates. Maria’s passion for nutrition and health education shines through her service work and will yield important improvements in community health.