Growing up the youngest of six children, Diana Bright rarely considered what it meant to have a healthy diet. Due to a sugar addiction, a good day was finding enough pop bottles to sell for candy money. Luckily, that changed as she grew up.
Moving to Colorado after high school, Bright attended secretarial school and began working. In 1980, she married John K. Bright and found the support and encouragement needed to continue her education. This time she focused on nutrition due to the lack of support she felt from mainstream medicine as she searched for answers as to why she felt less than well most of her life.
Following the completion of a triple major from the University of Colorado, Diana was ready to join the CSU family and received her Master of Science in food science and nutrition from the College of Health and Human Sciences. Following graduation, she attended a dietetic internship program at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, to become a clinical registered dietitian.
"Functional medicine is my passion," Bright says. "CSU offered a credentialed program that would open doors for me in this field. I knew I was in good hands."
Bright credits CSU with jump-starting her career as a functional medicine nutritional consultant. Empowered by her master's degree, she taught nutrition, became a board certified clinical nutritionist, a board certified naturopath, a certified gluten-free practitioner, and a certified LEAP therapist.
"Education is so important to achieving your dreams. It certainly was for me," Bright says. "If a student cannot afford an education, I want to support them and help them realize their dreams."
Through the legacy Bright created at CSU, she's established a scholarship for students from all colleges with her gift, known as a bequest, to CSU through her estate plan.
Ready to explore your legacy options? The Office of Gift Planning is working remotely through the COVID-19 pandemic and is ready to answer any questions you may have about creating a legacy at CSU. Contact the Office of Gift Planning at giftplanning@colostate.edu or (970) 491-4254 to learn about your giving options.