The Nutritional Supplement

What Course(s) did you graduate from at CNELM and when did you graduate?

I did the BSc (Hons) Nutritional Science and graduated in April, 2013.

What did you do before doing this course?

I was a home educated student. I joined CNELM 6 weeks after I turned 17 and did the Foundation Biology and Chemistry alongside my last year of schooling. I started the degree a couple of months before I turned eighteen.

What made you decide to embark on this course of study and what attracted you to CNELM?

My youngest brother is severely brain damaged. This happened after birth as he was starved of oxygen. Throughout life he had various health challenges to deal with because of this, including febrile convulsions, breathing difficulties and developmental issues. When he was 9, my mom took him to see a nutritional therapist and started to implement some dietary changes. I was 13 at the time, and got on board, finding a growing interest and passion through the experience. We ate a lot of quinoa and berry laden porridge in those days, before it was cool. Around this time, I read a nutrition book by Jordan S. Rubin, which deepened my interest.

As I got older, I knew I wanted to do something with my life to help others and explored many different avenues, including medicine and even becoming a Baptist minister. However, it was my love for nutrition that remained and stayed constant through the years. When a family member discovered CNELM, it was fascinating to learn about what they were doing here, the courses they offered, and in May 2009 I travelled down from the West Midlands to meet Kate and Martin and had an interview. The rest, as they say, is history.

Were you working whilst studying?

I mostly did volunteer work with my now husband, who works with children and young people.

What work did you do after graduating from CNELM?

After graduating, I worked for three months for a food production company as a tech assistant and specification technologist. For the past three years, I have been working for NSF International http://www.nsf.org/ in a business support role, which I now do on a part time basis. I also work part time here at CNELM as a Technical and Admin assistant.  I will also be contributing the updates to the Food for Health Course that CNELM offers to the public. In my spare time, a friend and I are working on a children’s nutrition book, along with a senior lecturer from UCL.

Is there anything you wish you’d known before finishing your studies that you might have prepared for differently?

No experience is valueless. Be patient, even if you are not where you want to be at the start, immediately after you graduate. Wherever you are at, it is a training ground for where you will be.  Enjoy the journey.

What or who has most inspired you in your work?

Kate, Martin and Dave – it was lovely to be a student here and get to know them, and now to work with them. They are a constant encouragement.

All the other students in my year. It wasn’t easy being the youngest, but they were always kind and I grew fond of all of them and have learned so much from each of them over the years. It is wonderful to still be in touch with many of them, hear their stories and be inspired by how they are making the world a better place, with regards to nutrition and health.

I have a keen interest in nutrition and Alzheimer’s, because of my grandad, one of the best men who ever lived.

And my lovely brother George of course, who inspired the beginning of my passion for nutrition all those years ago and inspires our whole family daily.  

Do you have any tips, hints, things you’d have done differently...?

Keep learning something new every day and never give up. Don’t be discouraged, because life is as much about the journey as it is about the destination. Wherever you are now, aim to learn as much as possible, because even if it seems small and insignificant, what you are learning may be a useful experience for the future.