Dietitian

Why did you decide to become a dietitian?

Hmm that's a good question. Thinking back to when I was in high school I don't think I even knew what a dietitian did, let alone what a dietitian was. Back then I probably wanted to become a lawyer or detective (I'm going to have to blame all of those true crime shows I watched). It wasn't until my final year of high school that I was assigned a career to look into, and low and behold, it was about dietitians.

The more I got working on my assigningment, the more hooked I was on becoming a dietitian. Dietitians could work in so many different areas, like with companies to create new products, in hospitals treating patients, in public health units investigating problems, and even start their own private practice. However, only a handful of universities across Ontario offered an undergraduate degree in nutrition, and even fewer offered a Master's Degree/Internship program-- however, Alhamulliah, London happened to offer both.

Like everyone applying to university, I put in my three choices and Alhamdulliah I got accepted into the Undergraduate program for Nutrition and dietetics at Brescia University (you may not have heard of Brescia, but it's basically part of Western University). That was the beginning of my journey to becoming a dietitian.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

My biggest inspiration is, hands down, my mum She is an amazing woman MashaAllah. She always encourages us to follow our dreams and work hard to achieve them. Setting herself as the biggest role model for us, my mum has always been a huge academic. She has many PhDs in science, microbiology and things I can't even dream to understand. She worked extremely hard through each and every one of those degrees, while raising us. Like many mums out there, she is a total superhero, mashaAllah. I ask Allah every day to grant her the highest Firdous in Janna. Say Amen.

How was your path becoming a dietitian?

After starting my undergraduate degree in "Honors specialization in nutrition and dietetics" at Brescia University, my path to becoming a dietitian became very standard. Throughout our undergraduate degree, we were expected to do a lot of extra-curricular, research, and volunteer activities related to nutrition.

Becoming a dietitian is very competitive, that's why the variety of extra-curricular activities and your compliment to them is very important when applying to the next stage to becoming a dietitian, which happens to be an internship or a master's degree.

When I was applying to become a dietitian, you had the option of applying for a 1 year, unpaid, internship through different hospitals in ontario. This route has since been removed, and is now replaced with a 1 year practicum through different universities. The other way to becoming a dietitian is to apply to a Master's program in nutrition that has a 1-year practicum built into it. I decided to go with a Master's degree, because for only 12 additional months, I would be able to graduate with a Master's degree, and Alhamdulillah I got accepted into the program.

After 4 years of an undergraduate degree, 2 years of a master's degree I finally had my "temporary dietitian license". It wasn't until I wrote and passed my licensing exam that could finally say I was a dietitian. Alhamdulillah!

Did you face any struggles being a Muslim woman in this field?

Not directly, no. Alhamdulillah, like I mentioned above, my undergraduate degree was at Brescia, which is a "women majority" university. There was always a warm and safe environment for us to talk. My professors were very open when I had to leave class to pray. And being in the nutrition field, people were always fascinated to learn about Ramandan and different cultural dishes.

What’s your favorite thing about being Muslim?

Is it too cliche to say everything? Hahaha, it truly is though! We are so blessed in many ways that we don't even imagine. I'm sure that as I grow older I will be able to reflect on many more things that being Muslim has helped me with. For now, I would say that my favorite thing about being Muslim is that I have a purpose in life. No matter what type of obstacles are thrown at me, or challenges I face, I know that everything happens for a reason. This motivates me to take on any challenge with a smile.

If somebody wants to be a dietitian when they grow up, what should they do?

Number one, don't get intimidated when others keep telling you that "it's a competitive field". Everything is achievable if you put your mind to it. Number two, focus on those extracurricular activities in university. Not only will that help build your resume and help you make connections, but it will also help you figure out what you truly enjoy doing. Number three, don't let the competitive nature of the program prevent you from making lifelong friends.

If you can give any advice to young Muslim girls/teens, what would you tell them?

Once I started working as a dietitian in the hospital I started noticing that the level of diversity had decreased, which can be a little bit intimidating. My colleagues were always curious about my hijab, reasons for certain dietary restrictions, and why I took a break to pray. Curiosity, to me, is always a good thing, so I was very open with them and answered their questions as best as I could, which helped them continue to ask questions.

No matter where we are, we are ambassadors for Islam. When people see me with my hijab, they immediately think of Islam. That's why it's so important to stand tall, keep our heads up, and be proud. We have a reason to be.