About Me!

My name is Holly Huval. I am a graduate student at the University of New England where I am studying Applied Nutrition with an emphasis in Dietetics. In 2022 I completed a one year course in health coaching and received my health coach certification. In 2010, I earned a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction at Concordia University in Austin Texas.

I am a retired teacher and instructional coach. I have taught grades 2nd-8th in English and Social Studies. The last six years of my teaching career I was an Instructional Coach. I was able to mentor teachers, create and teach professional development and analyze test data in order to make goals for improvement in both English and Social Studies.

My Journey

Teaching

Teaching was a passion of mine for over twenty years. I began teaching at an early age and I truly loved being able to help shape and teach the youth of America. I had the opportunity to work with students from 1st to 8th grade. Once I retired from teaching I was able to homeschool my own child for his 8th grade year, which was another rewarding experience. Teaching will always be a part of my story. I have used this experience in the field of nutrition through educating patients, creating learning sessions on MyPlate for the youth and counseling clients. I am excited to be able to use this experience in a different career and I feel it will help me to become a better dietitian.

Health Coaching

In 2021 I decided that I wanted to help others with their health journey. I went to get my health certificate from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. In this program I practiced many motivational interviewing skills to help learn how to change behavior and habits for clients. I then began my own health coaching company called Healthy as Kale. My main goal for my company was to have a website devoted to quick healthy meals for the busy, working mom. I also created different 4-6 week programs. These included a 4 week program to help clients decrease their sugar intake. Additionally I ran different Facebook groups that focused on nutrition and healthy habits. This helped me to become more comfortable working and coaching clients. It was working one on one with clients that I realized I wanted more training in nutrition which I did not feel I got in health coaching school. This is what helped to me make the leap into getting my master's in Applied Nutrition at the University of New England.

Master's Program

In 2024 I started a Master’s Program with the University of New England. In this program I completed experiential learning hours in clinical, community and food service settings. I was able to work with patients in both the ICU and Medsurge floors at Ascension Seton Cedar Park. I provided education, nutrition diagnosis and nutrition interventions to patients who had different disease states such as kidney disease, diabetes, heart disease and gastrointestinal diseases.

I also worked with Texas A&M AgriLife for community hours where I designed and taught a two hour educational session on MyPlate for students in the Little Einstein’s Summer Camp. I also created resources and activities on a "From Needs to Action" five-day session for senior citizens that focused on cardiovascular health, stress management, good nutrition, and food waste.

I worked with Manor Independent School District for food service hours where I helped develop menus, cooked new recipes and ran test groups with students to determine what would be available on the following year's lunch menu. I also developed a HACCP plan and posters of the correct and appropriate ways to cool, store and reheat food from the day before.

All of these hours and activities have helped me to advance in my role as a dietetic student and have prepared me for my future career.

My Professional Goals

I have found that I have a passion for clinical nutrition throughout my journey as a dietetic student. This is an area that has allowed me to grow and learn something new everyday because it has been the most challenging for me. It is my goal to work as a clinical dietitian in a hospital to gain experience and work to become a renal dietitian where I can find a job in a dialysis center to work with patients with kidney disease. This is something I was able to observe in my supervised experiential learning hours with a private practice dietitian and I absolutely loved working with patients who had kidney disease. I find it to be a passion to help others who are newly diagnosed or trying to get control of the disease and kidney disease seems to be the most complicated for patients. It is important for these patients to have a knowledgeable and compassionate dietitian to walk with them and help them with their daily nutrition and I feel that I have these skills to be able to succeed as a renal dietitian.

My Skills

I have the ability to be able to show empathy and can read someone’s body language to determine their level of understanding or willingness to learn. This has served me well in the hospital setting where I could determine if a patient was willing to speak with or learn from me. I believe my empathy helps patients feel more comforted in their time of need. This skill will help me to practice in a hospital or dialysis center. I also am a good listener which helps me to better understand my patients and their needs.

Additionally I ran different Facebook groups that focused on nutrition and healthy habits. This helped me to become more comfortable working and coaching clients. It was working one on one with clients that I realized I wanted more training in nutrition which I did not feel I got in health coaching school. This is what helped to me make the leap into getting my master's in Applied Nutrition at the University of New England.

My Hobbies

When I am not studying health and nutrition I love to read a great fiction novel. I have not been able to do this since I started school but I already have a long list to read once I graduate. I also love to hang out with my family on the weekends. We get together to hang out at the pool, cook and play games. I also love to exercise and I absolutely love my Peloton bike and tread! A new passion of mine has been to create new recipes that are quick and healthy. I love to help young working moms learn how to cook quick healthy meals after getting home from work. I have developed a website, healthyaskale.com, where I post many recipes. I also hope that this will be a great resource for my boys to go to and get their favorite dishes that I cook in the future.