When my friends ask me what I am going to do being for spring break, they respond to my plans by asking "Why Mississippi?" This spring break I am taking a service trip to Mississippi with my peers to work with people suffering health problems ranging from diabetes to hypertension. Mississippi has the highest rate for obese adults in the United States. Even their children are suffering from high rates of obesity to the point where it is being treated as an epidemic. It is important for children to develop healthy habits when they are young because otherwise they will suffer from serious health conditions like hypertension and diabetes as adults. By taking this service trip to Mississippi, we will be working with diabetic patients to help them set health goals for a better future. Also, we will be teaching an after school program of seventy children about MyPlate. MyPlate is the government run program that establishes the health guidelines for Americans. We will specifically teaching them about the different food groups that they need to eat everyday to grow healthy and strong. From this experience, I hope to learn more about diabetes and how to help and prevent it. My mother is a diabetic, so I grew up in a household that was centered around her health condition. Her condition helped to stem my passion for health because I wanted to learn how to build a healthier life for myself. I did research on diabetes and tried to cook meals for my mom that would help her overcome it. This trip is really close to my heart because of my mother. Considering the rates of diabetes being so high in Mississippi, I hope to learn more about why this is. What kinds of foods do they sell in their super markets? What restaurants populate the area? How much physical activity do they engage in? This trip will allow me to have first hand experience in a clinical and community setting. Nutrition is my passion so being able to make a difference by doing something I love is a once in a life time opportunity, and I cannot wait to arrive in the Magnolia State.