Student Testimonial - Angela

Name: Angela
Program: Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle Promotion
Graduate: 2023

Why did you choose Humber College? and/or this program?

Before I started attending Humber, I was an early childhood educator for 7 years. I just lost the passion, which can be common, so I decided to go back to school. It wasn’t a big deal for me since it wasn’t my first time attending. My brother attended Humber for his schooling, so I thought “why not?” I looked up nutrition (I was interested in nutrition since I was a young teenager) and saw two programs; Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle Promotion (NHLP) and Food and Nutrition Management (FNM). I was interested in both, but I wasn’t set on what I wanted to do in the future, so I decided to go with the NHLP program to see how it went. While in the NHLP program and during work experience, I decided that I wanted to be in the management side. These two programs share a common first year, so I completed NHLP and then did the pathway into FNM. I achieved two diplomas in three years.

How did the faculty help you on your road to reaching your goals?

I can’t say which individual faculty helped me reach my goal because they all did in their own way with their learning and knowledge. I knew about the pathway, but the program co-ordinator is the one who made it happen for me.

What was your experience like at Humber College? Within your program? The faculty? The labs? Student life?

I enjoyed my time at Humber. I loved how the two programs had cooking labs. I love to cook, so it was fun for me. It really helped with learning the basics and advanced cooking skills. The faculty were great! All of them, from both programs, are so knowledgeable and fun to be around with. They really showed how much they cared. When they would speak about the topics, you can hear their passion, which is amazing.

Did you have a Work-Integrated Learning experience? (otherwise known as a field placement, an internship, a practicum). What was your biggest take-away from that?

Attending two different programs, I had to do an in-school internship and a field placement. In the NHLP program, for the on-campus internship I provided nutrition counselling to clients. This really helped me with listening to clients, building rapport, and build motivational interviewing skills. It also helped me realize that I wanted something more, something different. When it came to the FNM program, the students were sent out to a location, and they follow their preceptor. This helped me so much by realizing that I took the right route in my education and concluded what I want to do after I graduate.

How did the program set you on your path to where you are now?

By having the right faculty and participating in both programs, it helped me realize what I want for my future and where I want to be. It provided me with knowledge and experiences that I never had before to help decide which path is going in the direction I want to go.

Think back to first semester, what advice would you give to your first-semester self?

Thinking back to first semester for both programs, the advice I would give myself would be: don’t stress out too much about the “what if’s” during your studies because at the end it’ll be okay; it’ll be worth it.

Do you have any suggestions for someone considering this field?

My suggestion is to take both programs -- because they work together. If you want to be in food management, you need those communication skills which are taught in the FNM program. If you want to be a nutrition guide or health coach, you will need the information about the clinical nutrition side. Both programs work in tandem, side-by-side. In the end, you’ll be ready for any job.