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Get to Know Rifqa!

Rifqa grew up in a large family, and she is child number nine of eleven. If you imagined that her mom spent lots of time in the kitchen always preparing the next meal, then you got it right. Although her mom was a great cook and prepared wonderful meals from whatever ingredients were available, unfortunately, Rifqa did not learn to cook from her. She was always assigned other needed house chores such as cleaning and tidying, while her older siblings helped in the kitchen. Nonetheless, the most important life lessons that she gained from growing up in such an environment were enjoying and appreciating home-cooked meals and realizing that healthy cooking is a necessary skill that must be developed.

Later as a married adult, Rifqa hosted many dinner gatherings where she prepared meals from scratch for family and friends. In her spare time, she read cooking and nutrition books. Over time, she became more interested in the health aspects of food and read books that focused on the relationship between food and disease. The role that food plays in nourishment and disease prevention became her passion. As her knowledge deepened in this realm, she increasingly shared it with family and friends through dishes that she had prepared and related discussions. With time, it became apparent to her that this strong personal passion and energy needed to be properly channeled into a future career. She researched various positions in the health field and concluded that a registered dietician nutritionist (RDN) was the credential that would allow her to realize her goal, and decided to pursue it.

Rifqa has a diverse educational background. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, a Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in Archeology. Besides being on the Dean’s List, and an active community volunteer, Rifqa received several accolades for her academic achievements and engagement in the dietetics community. Her nutrition and dietetic interests include nutrition education, health and wellness, community nutrition, disease prevention especially chronic diseases, sustainability, hunger relief, culinary medicine, microbiome, lifestyle medicine, and integrative and functional medicine. Her hobbies include healthy cooking, recipe development, gardening, photography, traveling, reading, walking, yoga, and spending time in nature and with family. Furthermore, Rifqa provides interpretation and translation services to Indian Prairie School District 204 and to a local food bank.
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Rifqa is passionate about nutrition and knowledge sharing, enjoys assisting and educating people in various ways, and is sincerely concerned about the well-being of others. She is bilingual with strong communication skills and is a determined, persistent, hard-working, and detail-oriented individual. She is a highly motivated, conscientious, kind person who holds high standards, has a growth mindset, and continuously seeks new learning opportunities. Moreover, Rifqa leads by example. She is a proud mother of two wonderful teenage girls whom she raised to follow healthy dietary habits and lifestyles.
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Rifqa aspires to get her RDN credential, build a career that takes into consideration her nutrition and dietetics interests, teach college-level nutrition classes, write a book about her healthy recipes, open a private practice, and explore working as a media dietitian with a focus on health and wellness.

Rifqa in her kitchen taking care of the final touches

Rifqa holding two large eggplants from her summer garden

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More About Rifqa

Enjoy these few pictures that exemplify Rifqa's love for her family, nature, and summer garden!

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