2024 LFS Undergraduate Student Leadership Award Winner: Jasmine Zhao
| Jasmine Zhao (she/her/hers) |
| Year level: Year 4 |
| Program: Food, Nutrition and Health |
| Major: Dietetics |
April 25, 2024 – Jasmine Zhao enjoys meeting new-to-UBC students and ensuring they have a good experience when they start university. She has been involved with LFS Firsts for 2 years and Imagine UBC for 3 years, where she led community-building activities, provided mentorship and pointed students towards UBC resources and involvement opportunities. She has also been involved with LFS|US as an LFS Week Coordinator, and is currently Co-Chair of the UBC Dietetic Student Community.
“As much as I have helped these students, they have also helped me. They helped me realize the power of mentorship and the impact a small act of leadership can make.”
What accomplishment or project are you most proud of?
As Co-chair of the UBC Dietetic Student Community this year, I prioritized extending programming to not only support prospective students but also build community among current dietetics students. The UBC Dietetic Student Community is known for events like Meet the Dietitian Night, Meet the Dietetic Student Night and our Interview Preparation & Confidence Building session that aim to support prospective students. When I was a member of the club in third year, I saw opportunities for new and fresh events focused on supporting current dietetics students.
This led to the development of Practice Education Night, where I hoped to give third-year dietetics students an opportunity to learn more about what to expect from practice education and to connect with fourth-year dietetics students. I hope these projects will be passed down to future cohorts to create more opportunities to build community among current dietetics students.
How did you overcome any challenges and what were they?
I was honestly quite nervous coming into my role as Co-chair for the UBC Dietetic Student Community because I found the events this club put on to be incredibly helpful when I was applying to dietetics, so I wanted to ensure we would be able to host events of the same quality this year. It was the support of my team members that gave me confidence in my leadership, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such a wonderful group of students to make our events a success. My experience as Co-chair this year has been one of the highlights of my university career, and I owe it all to my club members who supported me along the way.
How did you leave the student community in a better position?
Mentorship has played a large role throughout my undergraduate degree, and I would not be where I am today, or the person I am today, without the mentorship of the student leaders I have met throughout my time here. I think that my impacts on the LFS community can be seen through the students I have come in contact with. I have always loved being a part of orientations programming, including my role as a senior orientation leader for Imagine Day and a leader for LFS Firsts, because I am able to connect with new-to-LFS students and pass forward the mentorship I have received. There is something very special about seeing the new-to-LFS students you meet during orientations take on leadership roles within the Faculty.
If you are graduating, what is the next step for you?
I’m not graduating yet, but I will be completing my practice education placements next year! After graduating, I hope to pursue a career in public health dietetics to support the development of healthy and sustainable school food systems.
What is your tip for LFS students?
It’s okay to take things slow. UBC offers so many new and exciting opportunities that it can be easy to be overwhelmed (I know I sure was!). You don’t have to dive into everything all at once—it’s okay to go at your own pace and take on a few things at a time. Remember: the best path is the one that’s right for you!
Tagged with: 2024, Awards, Dietetics, Undergraduate