For most of my life, I watched my family struggle to manage their type 2 diabetes. Specifically, I witnessed my mom’s frustration as her doctors would increasingly prescribe medications despite her efforts to exercise and eat healthier. Determined to understand the root causes of her condition, I applied to the New Visions Health Careers Exploration—a competitive, hands-on clinical shadowing program for high schoolers in Rockland County, New York. At Rockland Endocrine, I was able to shadow Dr. Rosanna Millos, where I was exposed to preventive medicine and the approach of medicine that treats lifestyle, not only symptoms.

My newfound interest in preventive nutrition led me to enroll at UNC-Chapel Hill, specifically for the Nutrition, Health, and Society track at the Gillings School of Public Health. I was drawn to this track due to its focus on nutritional interventions and population-level approaches to improve community health outcomes. During my first semester, while taking NUTR 240 with Dr. Bustamente-Marin, I became interested in understanding the underlying factors behind why South Asian populations are disproportionately affected by diet-related chronic diseases.

Motivated by this interest, I became involved with Spice and Wellness—a student organization dedicated to transforming traditional South Asian dishes into well-balanced meals. As Co-President, I manage six committees and currently direct the distribution of over 200 copies of our culturally tailored recipe book on campus and at the Hindu Society of North Carolina temple. In Summer 2026, we are pursuing nonprofit status to expand our mission to provide culturally relevant nutrition resources to South Asian communities nationwide.

Additionally, my time at UNC also exposed me to the barriers to healthy eating beyond cultural relevance, including food access and appeal. Recognizing these gaps, I became involved with Culinary Medicine—another student organization that works to design high-quality, desirable meals to promote disease prevention and wellness. Through my involvement in their Inter-Faith Council (IFC) Committee, I have been building food risers, through UNC’s BEAM Makerspace, to make healthier foods more visible and appealing to pantry visitors. Complementing this work, I was also drawn to CJ’s Cupboard at the Gillings School of Public Health, which works as a free resource for college students facing food insecurity. There, as a student volunteer, I help stock shelves and organize donations from organizations such as Nutrition Coalition and PORCH.

During Summer 2026, I am participating in the UNC Nutrition in Italy program, in which I will be investigating the Mediterranean Diet and its renowned health benefits in the context of its culture and environment. As an aspiring future physician, I aim to understand how culturally rooted dietary traditions can inform interventions for chronic disease prevention, particularly in South Asian communities.