The Charger Blog

Charger Blogger Discusses Choosing Her Major and Finding Her Purpose

Initially a forensic science major, Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26 decided to take her studies and her career plans in a different direction. Now a nutrition sciences major, sheӰԭs found something that, she believes, is a better fit Ӱԭ and something sheӰԭs passionate about.

December 05, 2023

By Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26

Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26 (left) and Serenity Roberts Ӱԭ26 on campus.
Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26 (left) and Serenity Roberts Ӱԭ26 on campus.

Author, sipping a cup of piping hot espresso her dad handed her: ӰԭWhy hello there; good morning. Welcome to article 22: Why Nutrition? Feel free to take a seat and grab your favorite hot drink: itӰԭs gonna get heartwarming in here.Ӱԭ

ӰԭNutrition isnӰԭt just about eating, itӰԭs about learning to live.ӰԭPatricia Comptton

Choosing nutrition as a major was never part of the plan, despite how engrossed in it I am. Originally, I was designated for forensic science Ӱԭ the reason why I ended up at the University in the first place. While I didnӰԭt dislike forensics, exactly, it didnӰԭt quite fit what I was looking for.

Author sighs, looking at the camera: ӰԭFine, I lied: I hated it.Ӱԭ

To be clear, I donӰԭt dislike the topic or profession: we do need forensic sciences professionals in our criminal justice system to ensure that people Ӱԭ dead or alive Ӱԭ are given justice using these scientific methods. Because of this, I have a high respect for those going into the field. However, in my own case, the subject wasnӰԭt for me. It wasnӰԭt because it was bloody or that Jeffrey DahmerӰԭs fridge was actually pretty well-kept, but it was because I came to a rather sudden realization:

If I wanted to save lives, why was I dedicating my life to work on those already passed?

There is only so much you can learn from a cadaver in comparison to a living, breathing human being. One of the biggest things they teach you in forensics is that time is always of the essence as your data will decompose. In medicine, however, you get to work with data thatӰԭs alive and that can talk to you. ThatӰԭs what really got the gears turning, as well as the fact that I hated going to the class because, frankly, I was bored.

...I also got a 65 on my midterm and that in itself was the wakeup call to thinking, ӰԭI donӰԭt want to do this for the rest of my lifeӰԭ right then and there.

So how does one go from wanting to study dead bodies to nutritional sciences? Not many connections between those two, being real honest with you.

Well, it came down to what I was really passionate about. Unlike forensics, I could talk about nutrition all day. I liked reading articles about the subject or watching documentaries about food and what it meant to people, either culturally, socially, or as something they just enjoyed preparing; I was never as engrossed with forensics as I was about this.

Now, I realize that nutrition isnӰԭt exactly the most popular conversation topic of all time. Heck, it probably bored anyone who had to take it in junior high. On the flip side, though, nutrition is something that we engage in every single day of our lives. Going through the recovery process, and even after recovery, I discovered how important nutrition really is to us not only as a physiological being, but as human beings. Learning and understanding how food impacts us on a physiological, mental, social, emotional, and psychological level was fascinating for me, and I really wanted to understand why some individuals let food define their lives either in a positive or negative way while others couldnӰԭt care less. There also comes the healing of proper nutrition as well: understanding how nutrients impact our organs, cell turnover, and organ system as a whole can open new doors to unlocking peak health for ourselves. More interestingly, actually, there is research currently being conducted in nutrigenomics Ӱԭ the study of how nutrition impacts gene expression Ӱԭ and how it may be used to prevent diseases such as cancer or AlzheimerӰԭs. Pretty cool, right?

That whole paragraph Ӱԭ as well as my microplastic research, lol Ӱԭ is how I remind myself that I am studying something I am genuinely passionate about. Like I said, nutrition is small in the grand scheme of things, but so is the drop that starts a ripple in water. The effects of nutrition are progressive, and depending on oneӰԭs choices in terms of nutritional quality, life could be so different for so many people. Of course, itӰԭs not only the quality of the food theyӰԭre eating; itӰԭs the social media theyӰԭre consuming or what messages they tell themselves. I will never not stress how important it is to recognize nutrition in other areas of oneӰԭs life outside of food, and how all these areas can be used to positively impact a life.

Again: this is my jam, and I just need a slice of toast to go with it.
[Author laughs at another horrible dad joke]

Dudes, I could honestly talk about this for possibly forever. Please know that IӰԭm giving you the cheesiest, most eye-sparkling grin of all time through this screen, and I really hope that you feel the same pure joy when it comes to learning about your major. This is what I want to be talking about, researching, and just doing with the rest of my life and as the world leans into nutrition more than ever before, I feel so called and privileged to be able to learn how to help these individuals discover what nutrition works best for them.

Nutrition, for me, is as much about getting my veggies in as much as it is laughing with friends over a slightly melted ice cream cake. Nutrition tells me that I need to fuel my body in order to be able to go to the gym, fulfill my academics, and work hard in my professional life. And, good olӰԭ nutrition, tells me itӰԭs okay for your body and preferences to grow because what we need to grow will change throughout our lives, and itӰԭs a very human thing.

Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26 is ready for a tasty meal.
Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26 is ready for a tasty meal.

Nutrition taught me that itӰԭs okay to nourish myself without another person in mind.

Nutrition taught me flexibility, and how much power we have over things we have in life. Similarly, it taught me when to let go. Rules for me have always been more like guidelines, lol. Once you get a process down, work with it as if itӰԭs clay: Do you think everyone makes pottery the same way? Of course not. Our uniqueness presents differently, and so do our bodies with our needs.

In realizing all of this, nutrition gave me my life back, and IӰԭve dedicated the rest of my life to helping others get theirs back too. How exciting is it that I get to do this for the rest of my life? Like. Wow. I get to help people with the things that IӰԭve learned that I genuinely love? How amazing is that?

I really do wish all of you feel the same about what youӰԭre learning because itӰԭs such a blissful feeling. I know that university is a difficult process, especially when it comes to things that you have to do, even if you know that youӰԭre not particularly good at them.

For example, I love biology. I would die for biology because itӰԭs remarkable, itӰԭs transformative, and itӰԭs life in and of itself. Yet, biology canӰԭt exist without chemistry Ӱԭ a subject that I am not the best in. And IӰԭve realized that itӰԭs because of the fact that I am neither good at it nor do I enjoy it that I always push it off. So, lately, IӰԭve been trying to force myself to like it through appreciation of its existence. Without organic compounds, literally nothing would exist except water and air (air is made of many things, but itӰԭs mostly nitrogen and other small-ish percentages of compounds. If it was mostly oxygen, the earth wouldӰԭve detonated the moment cavemen figured fire out). So, if I love biology, I must Ӱԭ begrudgingly Ӱԭ have some sort of amiability towards chemistry.

Professor Harvey, if youӰԭve found this article: no you didnӰԭt.

Anyhow, I know that the end of the semester Ӱԭ AKA finals season Ӱԭ is on the way. During this time, IӰԭd allow yourselves to explore your passions, both academic and personal. Lately, IӰԭve been drawing a lot more, and itӰԭs been really nice to combat the burnout. On that topic, actually, please make sure to not overstudy because that will do more harm than good in the end. At the end of the day, the point of college is not only to give you a good education, but itӰԭs to help you become the person who you want to be in the best of ways. If you focus everyday on being better than you were yesterday, so much can happen even if itӰԭs a small change. I know finals season can be terrifying Ӱԭ especially for new students (Hi, first-years) Ӱԭ for many of us, but I encourage all of you to take a deep breath in, and a deep breath out:

You are exactly where youӰԭre meant to be. If things feel stagnant, this is a period of which you need to heal as the next stage of your life isnӰԭt meant to include that negativity. If things feel as though theyӰԭre going too fast, ground and remind yourself of how far youӰԭve come. You were a kid at one point, too. So, no matter how or what youӰԭre feeling, you can do it. Break it down into digestible parts, and get Ӱԭer done because I know you can.

You have more fight in you than you think. I promise.

With that, I hope everyone is having a fantastic week and had a restful Thanksgiving break. ItӰԭs Christmastime, baby, and things can only look up from here. IӰԭll see you in the next one, folks. Please feel free to reach out to me at BGlav1@unh.newhaven.edu or my personal email, beatriceg2022@gmail.com regarding questions, blog ideas, or commentary.

Peace, love, and all the peanut butter,
Beatrice Glaviano

Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26 is a nutrition sciences major at the University of New Haven.

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