Five Qs About You and TMU: Hooria

On my journey to interview at least one student from each of our faculties here at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), I obviously had to make a stop in the Faculty of Community Services. Here I caught up with Hooria, a TMU Student Ambassador in her third-year of the Nutrition and Food program, who told me, “I love my program a lot.”

Jenna: Can you describe your program to me in one sentence?

Hooria: A perfect mix of everything — you talk about science, but also consider mental, psychological and environmental factors of nutrition as well. 

J: Why did you choose to study at TMU?

H: There's a few reasons, but the main one was that the Nutrition and Food program is an accredited program recognized by the Partnership of Dietetic Education and Practice, so after this degree I could go on towards the path of becoming a dietitian. I also love the atmosphere of being in downtown Toronto and being around so many people. I love the diversity that comes with being in the city. 

J: Can you tell me about any experiential learning that you’ve participated in?

H: I’m just starting to get involved to help with my masters applications, but recently I worked with the Toronto Garlic Festival (external link, opens in new window) . I heard about the opportunity through my program and applied. They wanted to implement waste reduction strategies and get rid of the dumpsters full of garbage that they had in previous years. They felt like it shouldn’t have been that way, especially with climate change. They used reusable plates, reusable cups and more, so we helped organize that over the two or three months I was volunteering with them. We contacted vendors as well. We got to see and implement all the different strategies we thought of and the difference between the garbage that we got. 

J: What is your favourite thing that you have experienced on campus?

H: The labs that we do in the Daphne Cockwell Complex (DCC) are quite interesting. The things we make and deal with are really cool. DCC is also one of the newest buildings, so it has really good equipment and is nice. They have these commercial dishwashers there that can wash, clean, dry and sanitize all your dishes in something like 5 seconds. That would make my life so much easier at home (laughs). There’s so many people using the labs, so the way that they keep everything running is cool.  

J: What advice would you give to someone who is starting their research about which university or program they want to pursue?

H: You have to stay true to yourself. Coming into university, I wanted to be a dietitian and I'm still on that, but there are so many people around who influence you and you might start to be like, “Oh wait, am I thinking the wrong way?” or “Is my career not diverse enough? I have so many competitors right now!” But, if you get in that race it's not going to end well. You really need to know what you want, and stay true to that. Listen to everyone and get their opinions, but you have to do what you want at the end of the day. It’s important to know what you want. I know TMU gives people great opportunities, especially when it comes to experiential learning. 

Thank you to Hooria for sitting down with me — I loved hearing about her program and experiences! If you liked what Hooria had to say and think something similar might be of interest to you, check out our How to Apply page. 

Until next time, 

Jenna