Montzerrat Pantoja can be a little bit of a pest when it comes to her family’s diet.
Pantoja, a senior at Battle Ground High School, has a heavy interest in food science and nutrition, which has intersected with her family’s relationship to food.
“My family, I kind of drive them crazy with, ‘Oh this is not healthy. Where’s our side of vegetables?’ I kind of get on their nerves,” Pantoja said. “It’s because I love them. I want them to be healthy.”
While Pantoja might slightly irritate her family with healthy suggestions, the 18-year-old’s fascination with nutrition recently paid off in a big way. She was awarded a $5,000 scholarship from Kaiser Permanente that was created with the intent of diversifying the health care workforce. Since the scholarship’s inception in 2009, more than $4 million have been awarded to students, according to a Kaiser press release.
“We are passionate about making health care equitable — it should be accessible and affordable for everyone, no matter their circumstances,” said Ruth Williams-Brinkley, president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest. “A person’s language, race or ethnicity shouldn’t be a barrier to good care. … By creating a more diverse workforce, we can take a big step toward helping everyone in our communities live their longest, healthiest lives.”
Pantoja lived the first seven years of her life in the United States, splitting time between California and Washington, before spending the next seven years in Mexico. She moved to Battle Ground at 15, and after a period of adjustment has adapted to high school life.
“I used to go to a Catholic private school in Mexico. It’s a different vibe and something to get used to,” Pantoja said. “As the time passes by, I’ve met so many great friends and teachers that have impacted my life. I don’t regret coming here because it’s been an amazing experience.”
Pantoja plans to earn an associate’s degree at Clark College before attending Central Washington University to study food science and nutrition. Pantoja is a first-generation college student, who has always enjoyed school and had college in her plans.
Her parents worried about paying for college, she said, so they were ecstatic and surprised when she was able to win the scholarship. Pantoja shared in the joy of that award with her health sciences teacher, Tracee Godfrey, who informed her that she received the scholarship. The pair hugged each other and cried together. Godfrey wrote a letter of recommendation for Pantoja’s application.
“My hard work really paid off. It felt incredible,” Pantoja said.
Pantoja watches documentaries about nutrition in her free time, and volunteers with the Health Occupation Student Association. She’s helped to run school blood drives, taught CPR and first aid and done other volunteer work.
Pantoja’s interest in nutrition even lead to her becoming a vegetarian.
“I really got into all that once I started studying. I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ I would think twice before eating junk food or something,” she said. “I still eat junk food for sure, but I did have some major diet changes after getting interested in nutrition.”
This summer, Pantoja will volunteer at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center. She is interested in a career as a registered dietician.
“I want to educate people and help people make good choices,” Pantoja said. “It’s better for people to have healthy eating habits than to try to go back and erase decades of unhealthy choices once a chronic disease is presented like diabetes or heart disease.”
