When Sydney Heck ’21 started thinking about college, she envisioned a future behind the camera, not in healthcare. As a high school student, she worked in a doctor’s office alongside a nutritionist, but her sights were set on film production and a communications degree.
Health and nutrition, however, lingered in the background.
“I always had this really strong interest in health and nutrition,” Heck said. “It just came really naturally to me.”
As graduation approached, Heck began enjoying her job working in the doctor’s office more than she could have ever expected. The more time she spent observing patient care, the more she questioned whether film production was the right path. Ultimately, she altered her plans to enroll at the University of Colorado, after realizing the university did not offer a nutrition program.
Before Heck found her way to Texas A&M University, though, she spent her freshman year at the University of Texas in Austin.
“I was in Austin and I just didn’t like it. All my friends were at Texas A&M, so I wound up coming to College Station every weekend,” Heck said with a laugh. “Eventually, I decided I needed to transfer.”
Sydney Heck, who graduated from the Texas A&M Department of Nutrition in 2021, combined her interests in nutrition and women’s health to pursue a career in nursing, allowing her the opportunity to apply her nutrition background and expand her role in patient care. (Eliza Heck).
Finding a home in Aggieland
After many emails and office visits with then-advisor Poppy Capehart in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Heck recieved the news she had been hoping for. On Valentine’s Day, she learned she had been accepted to the Department of Nutrition.
“Poppy was actually the one who told me first,” Heck said. “He emailed me to say the official letter was coming, but I was in. I remember that day so clearly.”
Heck officially became an Aggie in fall 2018. She entered the program as a sophomore, with plans to become a registered dietitian, with a focus on sports medicine. From the start, she said she was struck by the support, kindness and enthusiasm of the department’s faculty.
One course particularly shifted her perspective. Nutrition Through Life Cycles, a core course in the program, introduced her to the role nutrition plays across the stages of human development.
“Ultimately, it was that class that made me realize how much nutrition affects our reproductive lives and women’s health,” Heck said. “I discovered I had this passion for women’s health, and I credit that class for helping me realize that.”
A shift in focus and a new direction
As her interest in women’s health grew, Heck realized, yet again, that her original career plan no longer aligned with her goals. The decision to pivot was not easy this time, however.
“It was a bittersweet moment because I came to the realization that maybe I didn’t want to be a dietitian anymore, which I had been focused on for the last three and a half years,” she said. “Focusing on women’s health made me feel like, in a way, I was leaving nutrition.”
Torn between the two, Heck found a way to bring her interests together. After researching career paths that combined nutrition and women’s health, she decided to pursue a career in nursing. The move allowed her the best of both worlds: the opportunity to apply her nutrition background and a chance to expand her role in patient care.
“You hear nutrition and think meal plans and counting calories,” she said. “But every process in the body is influenced by nutrition. There is so much science behind it.”
That foundation proved invaluable when she entered nursing school.
“You hear nutrition and think meal plans and counting calories. But every process in the body is influenced by nutrition. There is so much science behind it.”
Sydney Heck ’21
Registered Nurse Certified in Maternal Newborn Nursing
Building a strong academic foundation
After graduating from Texas A&M, Heck earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing through the accelerated BSN program at the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, which took her only 15 months to complete.
“It was all gas, no brakes – fast and furious – and I don’t think I would have done so well, or become such a strong nurse, if it weren’t for my nutrition degree,” she said.
In addition to the benefits of the foundational knowledge in human health afforded to Heck by her nutrition degree, she said she also had a more thorough understanding of the material in nursing school.
“I only needed one general chemistry, maybe two, for my BSN,” she said. “I had already taken them all, so I felt more than ready to take it on.”
Born to care for women’s health
After a winding academic path, Heck’s career has come full circle. Today, she helps deliver babies at the hospital where she was born.
Build a career in human health
Ground your passion for health in rigorous, evidence-based science. A Nutrition degree from Texas A&M prepares students to translate research into real-world impact.
She works as a registered nurse at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, one of the largest hospitals in Texas by number of beds, and a leading maternity provider in the region. The fast pace of the unit suits Heck well and keeps her engaged.
“I always want to be where the action is,” she said. “Healthcare is constantly evolving, and I want to be as up to date on current best practices as possible.”
Heck has completed the required experience to earn certification in her specialty, a process that includes two years of work and 2,000 clinical hours. She had these under her belt by October 2025, making her a Registered Nurse Certified in Maternal Newborn Nursing. This year, she plans to apply to graduate school to train to be a women’s health nurse practitioner.
Looking back, she said she’s grateful for the path that led her here. Her education and experiences now allow her to guide women through every stage of life, using a foundation built at Texas A&M and strengthened through hands-on care.
“I attribute so much of my success to my nutrition degree. I don’t think I would have done so well in nursing school, and then become such a strong nurse, without the science background that nutrition provided me with,” Heck said.
