Nutrition Student of the Month - Dande Ward - Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions

Where are you from?
A bit of a trick question, I grew up across the south and have lived in 12 different cities so far in my life. Atlanta Is where I have spent the most time and is where I call home.
Why did you choose to study nutrition? Was there a specific person, experience, or event that sparked your interest?
I first went to culinary school in New York, I realized fairly quickly that being a chef is not the life that I wanted. I then went through a very serious health crisis in my early twenties that changed everything. I couldn’t find help from doctors, so I began studying health on my own. After about a year I realized there were enormous gaps in the medical system and decided I wanted to be the one to close them. I began studying coaching, and enrolled in a nutrition program in Tennessee, before eventually switching to GSU.
What nutrition program were you a part of at GSU? What made you choose your program?
I graduated from the nutrition science Bachelor's program in 2022. GSU had a high ranking program and It was one of the only programs that was in a city and not in a college town.
What was your favorite thing about the nutrition program? What were some of your biggest takeaways?
The NBC-HWC coaching program was instrumental in launching my career. I also won a scholarship to attend the integrative medicine conference in New York in 2021 which also really helped push me forward. The nutrition program taught me that the more you put into your health, your education, and your career, the more you get out of it. It taught me to take risks and ask hard questions. My biggest takeaway from the material was that American culture has absolutely no Idea how food and nutrition work at all.
What has your career looked like since you graduated? Tell us about the jobs you have had or currently have.
I started my own company, Hesperides Health. I specialize in Chronic Illness management Coaching and program design. My coaching practice is focused on helping individuals with long term illness learn to manage there symptoms through lifestyle change, and live a joyful life. I also work with companies developing content for the chronic illness population. My first large scale program was published for a company out of New York last month. I am currently developing my own online programs focused on Trauma management for illness care and a few specific illness courses with a few doctors in town.
What other passions do you have? Has studying nutrition helped you realize or grow these passions?
I create a lot of art, I make immersive sculpture spaces and refurbish furniture. I play the theremin from time to time. I kayak as much as I can and workout at a gym most days. I still cook and bake all the time. Studying nutrition helped me realize that the best things in life bring joy. So now I focus on finding Joy in everything, but especially food
If you could give advice to someone considering studying nutrition, what advice would you give them?
Dig deeper, Learning about the nutrition side of health is transformational, but make sure to addd in the other parts of the puzzle. Dive into health psychology, physical health practices, breathwork, Genetics, Everything you can get your hands on. Nutrition is different from other medical specialties because it focuses on prevention instead of treatment quite a bit. It’s just as much about thriving as it is about recovering. Use your time studying nutrition to learn how to thrive.

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