Shelby Naron

Nutrition Educator
Nutrition Education, Extension
Years in Position: 11 months
Years of Service to MSU: 6 years 11 months

For Shelby Naron, nutrition education is about more than teaching people what to eat. It’s about helping them understand why those choices matter.

As a Nutrition Educator with Mississippi State University Extension, Naron provides hands-on nutrition education programs for Mississippians with limited resources. Her work takes her into classrooms, gyms, libraries, community centers, churches and other community spaces.

“I love that our six-week nutrition education programs allow me to follow up with both youth and adult participants,” Naron said. “I get to watch them grow and achieve their goals throughout the program, and I find that very rewarding.”

With youth, Naron teaches Show Me Nutrition in Title I schools. The six-week program combines instruction, handouts, food tastings and short physical activity breaks. Students may sample foods such as yogurt, fruits and vegetables while learning how nutrition affects their health.

With adults, Naron leads Cooking Matters for Adults, which combines nutrition education with hands-on cooking. Participants work together to prepare recipes such as Black Bean and Vegetable Quesadillas and HappyHealthy Fruit Salsa while learning how to make healthier choices.

But one of Naron’s favorite memories came from a fourth-grade classroom during her first year providing nutrition education.

After a lesson about calcium and its role in building strong bones and teeth, one student told Naron they had tried yogurt and broccoli at home and discovered they actually liked both. The student even asked her parents to buy more for school lunches.

“It was the first time I saw that my direct education was helping youth understand the ‘why’ behind healthy choices,” Naron said.

That moment reinforced what she finds most rewarding about Extension: the opportunity to work with people over time and see education turn into action.

A Registered Dietitian, Naron has long been interested in public health promotion. Her work with Extension allows her to combine that interest with her desire to help communities make informed nutrition decisions.

Naron has been with MSU for nearly seven years, previously serving as a Community Wellness Planner before moving into her current role. She will celebrate one year as a Nutrition Educator in October.

Outside of work, Naron has a hobby she has carried with her since childhood: crocheting. Her grandmother taught her to crochet when she was 7, and she has kept a project going ever since.