Making tacos brought students and faculty together to build connections beyond the classroom. The Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences hosted taco-making events for the Welcome Week festivities. Each event opened the door to connection within the College of Health community through food and good company, offering participants the chance to build relationships with peers and professors alike.

The events, organized by Dr. Alyce Fly, Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Health and Professor of Nutrition and Health, were open to students and faculty of all College of Health majors. “The idea is to help students meet other students in their majors early on in the semester,” said Fly, “so they will have a network of friends and colleagues, and engage more easily in group activities in classes.”

Building connection was made easy as the group divided up the tasks, allowing each person to help create a delicious meal while getting to chat with other attendees. Students and faculty alike had the opportunity to engage with other members of the health care professions community.

Nikolaos Rivera, Assistant Lecturer, even detailed the valuable connections made at the event. “I think events like these are pretty invaluable for students. It can be very difficult to meet new people of your own volition, but when you’re united to complete a task it’s so much easier to introduce yourself and build bonds with new people.” He noted, “We built new communities while building tacos.”

 

The opportunity to connect over a delicious, home-cooked meal, presented many students and faculty the ability to form connections that they might not have in the classroom. The experience allowed participants to chat about things beyond their shared passion for health care, from a shared love of pickleball to fun stories about a beloved family pet.