Ayasha Santoso

About

Ayasha's love for nutrition, food and health drew her to the Nutritional Sciences major. She values taking care of others and her major allows her to grasp valuable skills that are applicable to healthcare roles. In the near future she hopes to pursue a career in healthcare, specifically as a nurse. During her time at UBC, she has found a community by getting involved in faculty events, such as LFS|US social and athletic events, Wednesday Night Dinners, and now as an LFS Student Ambassador.

Ayasha can't wait to meet prospective students in her role as an LFS Student Ambassador - find out how to connect with Ayasha and her outreach team here.

What are three adjectives that describe you?

Compassionate, Conscientious and Generous

Why did you choose to attend UBC?

Prior to transferring into LFS I was still looking for a program that had a social impact and was applicable to healthcare. The program I was in prior was too broad for my liking and thus I came across the programs LFS offered unique only to UBC. No other BC institutions had majors such as Nutritional Sciences, Dietetics, and Food Scienceall within one program. I really connected with Food, Nutrition and Health and was excited to learn how problems such as food insecurity and food sustainability could be integrated into my learning. UBC also has many wonderful career opportunities in Research, Co-op and Work Learn and thus I feel I can apply my learned knowledge into career paths I'm excited to pursue.

What has been your favourite course and why?

There are many FNH courses that I have enjoyed, but I truly loved the material in FNH 371: Human Nutrition Over The Life Span with Professor Jennifer Black. Learning various nutrition requirements for different life stages and applying this knowledge to case studies made the course fun and interesting! Throughout the course we had a few guest speakers who integrated their work into our course material. After finishing this course, I now possess the nutritional knowledge not only of adults, but of infants, children, teens, child-bearing women, and older adults.

What has been the most challenging aspect of your commuter experience?

Finding enough time to balance sleep, my studies, extra-curriculars and work on top of commuting to UBC, has been very challenging. Some days it feels like there isn’t enough time to fit in all of these activities, especially taking in to account the time needed to transit back and forth to campus. I’ve learned to be more honest with myself and be more realistic with how I plan my days and to take things one day at a time. I’ve learned to embrace the long rides home and catch up with sleep rather than dreading the whole ride home.

What does a typical week look like for you during the school year?

I have classes Monday to Friday usually from 9:30 am - 12:30 pm. Since I end my classes earlier in the day, it gives me some time to fit in gym sessions, work at my part-time job, and grab food with friends! As a commuter I try to end my day on campus by 5pm so I have time to get home and continue studying. During the weekends, I spend my free time exploring new cafes and restaurants with my family and friends.

What advice would you give to a high school student considering your program in LFS?

Explore all the opportunities/resources offered to you! LFS has many programs, clubs, and resources to get familiar with. A few include: Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), the Land and Food Systems Undergraduate Society (LFS|US) and the LFS website, and the UBC Student Services Career page where there’s a list of skills and careers described for each program we offer.

Before graduating, what is still on your UBC bucket list?

If I get the opportunity to do so I would love to participate in a directed studies program internationally, specifically in Indonesia where I can re-connect with my culture and continue to gain new knowledge with the courses offered. Another item on my UBC bucket list is to do exchange for a semester! Being in Vancouver my whole life I would love to view a new perspective of the world and try new adventures and food all while being able to take interesting courses in relation to nutrition.

Interested in studying in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems? Learn more here!