Yesterday, I stepped into a lecture room — not as a student, but as the guest lecturer. And I won’t lie… it felt surreal.
Over a decade ago, I was sitting in those same seats — inquisitive, curious, always asking questions, trying to understand not just what I was learning, but why it mattered.
To return years later — after graduating in 2014 (Public Health Nutrition) and again in 2016 (MPH) — and stand at the front of that room…
was a true full-circle moment.
But more than that, it was an opportunity to speak on something I care deeply about:
Food. Identity. Impact.
Because food is never just food.
It’s identity —
the stories we carry, the cultures we represent, the heritage we honour.
It’s health —
shaping outcomes, influencing communities, and playing a critical role in public health.
And it’s impact —
how we use food as a tool to nourish, to connect, to challenge systems, and to create change.
This is the intersection I live in every day through Urban Fusion by Ella Bella —
where science-led knowledge meets lived experience, and where culture is not an afterthought, but the foundation.
One thing I shared with the students is this:
what you learn in textbooks is powerful — but it comes alive when it’s applied, lived, and felt.
A special thank you to my former tutor/ lecturer Anna Sorsby for the opportunity — and for reminding me that even back then, I was someone who asked questions (probably too much 😅) and wanted to go deeper.
That meant more than you know.
Moments like this remind me that the journey isn’t always linear —
but it is always purposeful.
And I’m only just getting started.
#SheffieldHallamUniversity
#GuestLecturer#FoodIdentity#PublicHealth#FoodJustice#UrbanFusion#WomenInBusiness#PurposeDriven#Impact#nutrition
