Lizzy Bumpas and Danielle North were honored as the winners of the 2025 Outstanding Graduate Award for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Dietitian Education Program (DEP).
North Overcomes the Unexpected
Danielle North never imagined finishing her M.S. in Nutrition Sciences in the middle of a natural disaster and weeks without electricity. Yet her ability to persevere through the unexpected is exactly what earned her this award.
“The work that goes into this program takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” North said. “Your whole focus in this short amount of time goes all-in towards this. Keeping the ‘why’ behind it, that’s what pushes us to do it. Thinking of the patients and the future is why we do it.”
North faced challenges few could have anticipated. She and her husband live in Augusta, Georgia, where he is stationed with the U.S. Army. Last September, Hurricane Helene tore through the area, despite expectations that Augusta would be spared.
The storm left their home without electricity for nearly two months, overlapping with North’s first clinical rotation and coming just one week after her husband underwent small intestine surgery. With their home unlivable, the couple temporarily relocated to North’s family home in Virginia, traveling back to Augusta as needed for military obligations, all while power had yet to be restored.
“It was quite an adventure,” said North. “It gave us a huge appreciation for the things that we take for granted. I thank God that he helped us get through that and all our friends and family.”
“Hurricane Helene was a devastating event, and we were continually struck by her response to it,” added Dr. Davis. “While our focus was on reassuring her that we would support her fully and that there was no rush to return before her basic needs were met, she consistently communicated with ideas for how she could still make things work. We were genuinely taken aback by her determination, especially given the circumstances. Her drive and resilience in the face of adversity are truly extraordinary.”
That perseverance carried into North’s professional experiences, which included on-site rotations across the Southeast. Most recently, she served as a Performance Dietitian Intern for Olympic Nutrition at the University of South Carolina, supporting the Gamecocks’ basketball, softball and volleyball programs.
As she prepares to enter the profession as she is looking to stay in the sports field, North is eager to continue applying both her training and her lived experiences.
“I’m excited to begin my career,” North said. “I am looking forward to being a voice and really get to know the people and start making a difference.
Bumpas Finds Her Passion
Bumpas earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 2020 and ultimately pursued the DEP because she wanted a career in health care.
“I wasn’t yet certain which path to pursue,” she said. “When I realized many programs required a nutrition background, it felt unattainable.”
That uncertainty shifted during a work trip, when she discovered the UAB DEP. The program’s structure and flexibility immediately stood out.
“UAB’s outstanding reputation, combined with the program’s flexibility, made it the perfect fit for me,” said Bumpas. “The ability to complete required prerequisites, continue working while taking classes (until internships began), and avoid relocating, something that would have been incredibly challenging at that stage of my life, made the opportunity feel exactly what I had been searching for.”
Because of the effort it took to find the right path, Bumpas approached her time in the program with a deep sense of purpose, and credited the faculty, staff, and fellow students for ‘such an incredible experience.’
“Lizzy is the kind of person who, instead of saying, ‘I don’t think I can do that,’ says, ‘Let’s figure it out and see what happens’ and always with a smile,” DEP Director, Dr. Lizzy Davis. “I truly appreciated her mindset throughout the program; she consistently brought enthusiasm, positivity, and a bright energy.”
