Student Success Stories
Byanka V Melgar (BS Public Health, IBCLC)
took HSCI 434 –Lactation Education while enrolled at CSUN as an undergraduate in Public Health. After completing HSCI 434: Lactation Education, Byanka was selected to serve as a Lactation Educator for a research study that examined the impact of phone-based breastfeeding education on Latina mothers’ breastfeeding rates. Learn more about this breasfeeding study.
After graduating from CSUN with a B.S. in Public Health, Byanka was hired as a health education.
Specialist at Northeast Valley Health Corporation where, among other things, she implements breastfeeding education. In 2014 Byanka became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and is currently pursuing her master of public health degree at CSUN.
Rebecca Pancake (BS, IBCLC)
Rebecca took HSCI 434 –Lactation Education while enrolled at CSUN as an undergraduate in public health. After completing HSCI 434: Lactation Education, Rebecca chose to do an internship at Horizon Hills Preschool/Adult Education helping with prenatal education, breastfeeding support groups, and teen pregnancy education.
After graduating from CSUN with a B.S. degree in Public Health, Rebecca was hired at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in the Lactation Center.
There she works in the outpatient center, in the women’s unit, and helps run their breastfeeding support groups. In 2014 Rebecca became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and is currently taking prerequisites for a BSN program and her RN license.
Jocceline Hernandez (MS, RD)
Jocceline took HSCI 434-Lactation Education while enrolled at CSUN as an undergraduate in nutrition and dietetics. After completing HSCI 434- Lactation Education, Jocceline participated in a community engagement experience at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center where she facilitated breastfeeding education to new mothers during their hospital stay. Learn more about this community engagement experience.
After graduating from CSUN with a B.S. degree in nutrition and dietetics, Jocceline was accepted into CSUN’s Dietetic Internship Program. During her clinical dietetic rotation at the medical center WIC program, she was able to teach breastfeeding classes and integrate breastfeeding education into her nutrition counseling sessions.
Jocceline is now a registered dietician with a M.S. degree in nutrition working at the Northeast Valley Health Corporation, a community health center where she works directly with expecting mothers providing essential breastfeeding education and resources to allow them to have a successful breastfeeding experience.
Rebecca Agi (MS, IBCLC)
Rebecca Agi received her masters of science degree in nutrition and dietetics from CSUN in 2015. As a graduate student, Rebecca took HSCI 434: Lactation Education and quickly realized she wanted to focus her career on prenatal and postpartum care. After completing HSCI 434, Rebecca became a Certificated Lactation Educator and was selected to participate in a research study which implemented prenatal lactation education to low-income Hispanic women.
In 2016 Rebecca became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and is currently running a private, in-home lactation consulting practice called Best Milk LA. Rebecca is also a guest writer for different parenting websites about all things related to lactation.