-: My name is Clancy Harrison.
I am a TEDx speaker, registered dietitian and author.
I had no idea that I would be going down this avenue.
I am an adjunct professor for Penn State
and I spent two years as a lecturer
at University of Scranton, so I was used to getting up
and speaking and I do have a love
for when I have "aha" moments go off
and I see that and the people I'm trying to educate.
So it was a natural fit for me
and it's something that I love doing.
My speaking started when I was recruited
by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to be a leader
in the Community Voice Project.
The purpose of this project was to bring the real face
of hunger to Congress not just statistics.
So it gave me an opportunity to sit down
and interview clients at the food pantry
and I also consult with universities
the woman with children's program
in Misericordia specifically.
And so I sat down and I learned their story of hunger
and poverty and because I spoke at Congress
then I started speaking at nutrition seminars
and now I'm at nursing seminars and medical seminars.
I'm doing a national key note for WIC in Chicago
this spring so it really had my career take off
because I was so, I'm leading with passion.
And I think that's really important.
I'm learning from the experts themselves
which are my clients.
So it's people who experience hunger
and I bring those stories to WIC with me
because it's great to give a statistics
but if I can give a real face and a true story
it helps people develop empathy for the statistics
but it also makes them come alive in the presentation.
So I have to say the day in and day out
is working with the clients, rolling up my sleeves,
and being in the trenches.
It's easy to read statistics and research
and be able to talk about that in front of an audience
but if I don't actually go to the food pantry
and set up our free bi-weekly farmer's market
for our clients and talk to them and learn their why
I think it's very important for me to understand why
they make certain food choices
because that helps me with the education piece.
So the day in and day out preparation is really to
continue to learn from my clients and their experiences.