Keri Byrne of Jonas has only been in her position as Nutrition Education Advisor for the Penn State Nutrition Links program in Monroe and Carbon counties since autumn 2012.

Classes to teach people to eat better for less have taken place at PathStone in Tannersville, Family Promise in Carbon, CareNet in Carbon, Clymer Library, Head Start sites in Monroe and PathStone Head Start in Carbon.Through her work she has garnered two awards of excellence on the state level."I received both awards the same day and was pleasantly surprised to receive them," she shares. "I knew I was a candidate for both of them since one of my ideas presented at the conference was entered for the Peoples' Choice.""A fellow NEA said she was going to nominate me for the Rookie of the Year Award. I was running against other people who brought such wonderful ideas to the NL program so I wasn't sure if I had a chance. A nice surprise was the scrapbook they gave me in addition to the awards. Inside were nice letters of recommendations from my Supervisor and District Director, along with pages showing ideas that I presented. It touched my heart to feel so appreciated."Byrne came to the position after she registered with Penn State University's job site."Although I had no prior experience in that field, I did get a heavy dose of nutrition training when both of my sons were diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes within the same year in 2004," Byrne said.Mary Ehret, M.S., R.D.,

L.D.N. Nutrition Links Supervisor in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Carbon, Sullivan and Bradford counties for the Penn State Extension nominated her for the Rookie of the Year award.Ehret said she has received "very positive feedback on her dedication to the job and eagerness to help agency clientele."Lizette Reyes, program caseworker at PathStone in Tannersville, said she "has personally witnessed the changes in our participants eating habits and how it has allowed them to discover a healthier lifestyle."In addition, the duo note that, "Participants that have completed and graduated from the program in addition to increasing their self-esteem the program has enabled the participants to achieve a higher level of marketing opportunities in the workforce."Byrne enjoys her work. The best thing about the job is "when my participants get that 'Aha!' moment and they get what I am teaching them. Even better is when they apply what they learn at home, or try a new recipe."Byrne says the program has impacted her personally. "I lost 25 pounds since starting this job three years ago - just by tweaking my eating habits! So, as a result of eating healthier, I lost weight (without trying - or rather without the focus on losing weight). So, I practice what I preach. I truly believe in our curriculum and try to live it to the best of my ability."For more information about the Nutrition Links program, call Keri Byrne at the Monroe County Extension office at 570-421-6430.