{"id":17494,"date":"2026-11-13T14:51:39","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T19:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/?p=17494"},"modified":"2026-11-13T14:51:55","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T19:51:55","slug":"beyond-the-garden-daniellas-journey-from-youth-food-market-to-studying-nutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/beyond-the-garden-daniellas-journey-from-youth-food-market-to-studying-nutrition\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Garden: Daniella’s Journey from Youth Food Market to Studying Nutrition"},"content":{"rendered":"

YFS Alumni Spotlight | Daniella Awere-Gambrah<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Daniella Awere-Gambrah is currently studying Applied Human Nutrition at the University of Guelph, with an emphasis on dietetics. Before university, she spent several years with Youth in Food Systems (YFS), volunteering in community gardens, working as a Market Leader, and taking part in other activities that helped her explore her interests in food and agriculture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Daniella first joined YFS in Grade 10 after learning about the opportunity through her guidance counsellor. She was drawn to the programme because of her interest in gardening, sustainability, and urban planning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the years, she gained experience growing food, working at Youth Food Markets, and connecting with other young people who shared her interests. One experience that stood out was interviewing Chef Tompson Tran of The Wooden Boat Food Company through the Food Leader Interview Series.<\/span><\/p>\n

Discovering New Interests Through YFS<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"Growing up, Daniella had considered becoming a doctor. She also enjoyed writing and exploring her creative side, but by high school, she wasn’t sure what direction she wanted to take. Her time with YFS helped her look at some of her existing interests differently.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
“Joining YFS helped me reconnect with interests I had always enjoyed, including food, nature, agriculture, sustainability, and community, but had never really considered pursuing it as a career.”<\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In Grade 10, while researching career options for a school assignment, Daniella discovered dietetics. The field appealed to her because it combined science, social sciences, food, health, and wellness. She eventually chose to study Applied Human Nutrition at the University of Guelph.<\/span><\/p>\n

Continuing Her Interest in Food and Community<\/b><\/p>\n

Daniella’s interest in food and community work has continued beyond YFS. Alongside her studies, she volunteers with MealCare, a student organization at the University of Guelph that works to address food insecurity on campus and in the wider Guelph community. She also volunteers with Food4Kids Waterloo Region, which supports children experiencing food insecurity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her community involvement extends beyond food-related programmes. She has worked with adults with developmental and physical disabilities through Sunbeam Community & Developmental Services and has experience tutoring a young child with autism.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although dietetics is her current career direction, Daniella remains interested in other areas, including medicine, food systems, agriculture, food economics, and sustainability.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
“Looking back, YFS helped me recognize that interests I once considered hobbies could also become part of my future career, and it opened my eyes to just how many possibilities exist within the food and food-agriculture sector.”<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Daniella’s Advice to Other Young People<\/b><\/p>\n

We asked Daniella what she would say to someone thinking about joining YFS.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
“Please get involved in different experiences! You never know what you might discover about yourself, the things you enjoy, or the paths you may want to pursue.”<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n

She also appreciates that she can continue to stay connected with YFS even after leaving the programme.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her advice to young people who are still figuring out their interests?<\/span><\/p>\n

“You don’t have to have everything figured out before you get involved. Sometimes, trying something new can open doors and introduce you to possibilities you may never have considered otherwise.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2e3b<\/span><\/p>\nBeyond the Garden is a YFS Alumni Stories series celebrating the experiences, growth, and journeys of young people who have participated in Youth in Food Systems.<\/span><\/a>\n

Are you a former YFS participant? We\u2019d love to hear your story! Share your experience through <\/i>YFS Alumni Stories form<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

YFS Alumni Spotlight | Daniella Awere-Gambrah Daniella Awere-Gambrah is currently studying Applied Human Nutrition at the University of Guelph, with an emphasis on dietetics. Before university, she spent several years with Youth in Food Systems (YFS), volunteering in community gardens, working as a Market Leader, and taking part in other activities that helped her explore […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[80,45,75],"tags":[86,85],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17494"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17494"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17494\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17501,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17494\/revisions\/17501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}