Being someone who has always been passionate about sports and food, Izzy Grothaus found her perfect academic major at Viterbo University—nutrition and dietetics.

“I’ve been in soccer since I could walk and I started playing volleyball when I was in junior high,” said Grothaus, a senior from DeForest. “Coming from a family of chefs, food has been a big part of my life. I am very interested in nutrition and its effect on the body and health.”

Keeping with her interests, Grothaus works as the fitness and wellbeing program assistant for the Campus Recreation, Engagement, and Wellbeing (CREW) department. She runs and promotes various fitness programs such as the step and hydration challenges, does group fitness scheduling and tracking, and helps the CREW director with other duties. She also teaches a yoga class and participates in intramurals.

“I really enjoy working at the Mathy Center and being at Viterbo,” said Grothaus. “I see people I know and recognize all over the place.”

In addition to her duties at Viterbo, Grothaus works at Caribou Coffee. In her limited leisure time, she like being outdoors biking and camping and enjoying her newest hobby, pottery. Grothaus takes requests from family members, having made a matcha bowl, espresso cups, and a set of mugs for them at the La Crosse Clay Center.

Grothaus will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree and will return for an additional year to earn a Master of Science in Community Medical Dietetics degree. A master’s degree is required to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Viterbo graduate program includes the required 1,200-hour supervised practice hours internship needed to take the Registration Examination for Dietitians. Grothaus will complete four, 8-week internships, the first of which will be on a sustainable farm located a half hour north of Seattle.

“I want to spend some time on the West Coast,” she said. “It will be sad to leave Viterbo and Wisconsin, but I’m excited to have an adventure in my 20s.”