Lyndsey Ruiz is originally from the East Bay Area and completed her BS in Nutrition at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo after transferring from Los Medanos College. Lyndsey went on to complete her PhD here at UC Davis in Nutritional Biology. During her PhD program, Lyndsey conducted research within the UC Davis Center for Nutrition in Schools. She is from a low-income community, which inspired her work helping underserved communities through establishing sustainable low-cost programming that allowed youth to engage in science education. Her work focused on innovative and informal approaches to nutrition education. In particular, Lyndsey was interested in advancing food literacy, which allows youth to improve nutrition knowledge while also gaining practical skills in agriculture, health, and food sciences. Now at the ICC, Lyndsey works with graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to help them explore diverse career options. In her spare time, Lyndsey plays Dungeons and Dragons, listens to true crime podcasts, and cuddles with her dog.