"If you cannot see where you are going, ask someone who has been there before." —
J Loren Norris
The Xplore Initiative keeps growing and getting better with time.
On Saturday, 26th of June 2021, MeetMentors in collaboration with the Nutrition and Food Science Students Society (NFSSS) and Association of Food Science and Technology Students (AFSTS) put together the Mentoring for Nutritionists and Food Scientists Event. The event, which is part of our Xplore Initiative was aimed at providing mentoring for young nutritionists and food scientists to explore the possibilities and opportunities they have while studying Nutrition and Food Science.
Participation
With close to 300 participants, we had registrations mainly coming from University of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, we also had registrants from South Sudan and other African countries. The program kicked off at 4:00pm.
Speakers
Drawing speakers across the field of Nutrition and Food Science, the first speaker of the day was The Founder & Team Lead at MeetMentors, George A. Sarkodie who spoke about the importance of mentoring in the life of students and the role of mentoring in the success of individuals. By the end of his presentation, he had left the participants with a thirst for mentors and mentoring.
The second speaker was Dr. Roger Aidoo, Research and Development Manager at Bayn Solutions AB in Sweden, whom we affectionately call the Chocolate Man due to his specialty in chocolate processing and engineering. Dr. Roger Aidoo presented on the Non-Academic Opportunities in Nutrition and Food Science. He touched on the different career paths one could take with a degree in Nutrition and Food Science.
The third speaker is a patron of the Nutrition and Food Science Students Society (NFSSS) and she is in the person of Dr. Maame Yaakwah Blay Adjei. She is an oenophile who is also into sensory science. She talked about what she wished she knew before getting a degree in Nutrition and Food Science and shared her experiences. She was impactful. The last speaker, was Dr. Dominic Agyei, a Food Science lecturer at the University of Otago in New Zealand (who joined at 4am New Zealand time). Dr. Agyei presented on the academic and scholarship opportunities available to nutrition and food science students. He also talked about how mentors have impacted his own life.
We also had as part of the Question & Answer (Q&A) panel, Dr. Stephen Abban, Quality and Food Safety Manager at Arla Foods in Denmark and Irene Acolatse, a Food Science PhD candidate in Ireland. The Q&A session gave responses and cleared the doubts to most participants.
Impact
For most of the participants, it was a thrilling 3 hours filled with so much impact from the speakers. These sessions continually change and begin to shape the lives and thoughts of most of our participants. These sessions are life-changing and impactful, and it is beginning to shape the perception of mentoring and its importance in the lives of young Africans.
Take Home
For the full event, check our YouTube page in the link below.
MeetMentors takes this opportunity to thank the executives of the Nutrition and Food Science Students Society (NFSSS) and Association of Food Science and Technology Students (AFSTS), and everyone who supported this event.
If your university department or student association wants to hold a similar event in collaboration with MeetMentors, contact us via our website or email us at info@meetmentors.org