My Admission Letter to Guelph

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Casilda Highland. I am writing to you today in the hopes of receiving admission into the University of Guelph’s Applied Human Nutrition Program. This letter will relate to you everything that led me to this moment: writing a letter to get admission into a university whose nutrition program is accredited by the Ontario College of Dieticians.

My interest in food and nutrition and its relation to the human body was one that I developed at an early age. Growing up in Bangalore, a city in southern India, I was exposed to the tantalizing tastes and smells that the best Indian cuisine could offer. I studied in Malya Aditi International School, which followed the British curriculum. During my time there, not only did I receive an excellent education that primed me to be a thoughtful, curious, young learner, I also experienced Indian cultural values through studying the ceremonies, plays, musical and dance traditions of my country. When I immigrated to Canada with my family at the age of 10, I welcomed a new chapter in my life. As an immigrant, leaving my home country was very difficult. To say that I was culture shocked was an understatement. It was overwhelming.

Why did I choose to include this in my letter today? Well, all these events lead up to the culmination of my decision to enter into the Applied Human Nutrition Program, so please stay with me a little while longer. I spent the first decade of my life in India, and half of the second trying to fit into Canada, this new country that I was now proud to call home. All through high school, I took science and math in the hopes that once I graduated, I would get into Human Biology and then I would decide what I wanted to do with my life.

However, as it often happens, plans sometimes do not turn out the way you want them to. When I was in Grade 11, I developed depression and anxiety. To say developed would be inaccurate- I always was an anxious person. It just so happened that my anxiety was finally starting to become maladaptive. During my senior year in high school, I had a sudden interest in weight loss, which I later realized was my way of coping with the anxiety the uncertainty that the transition from high school to university caused me. I really wanted to achieve that perfect, toned body that would look amazing in any prom dress. I didn’t want to face the agony of falling in love with a dress, only to have my heart broken because it didn’t fit! 

This was the beginning of my downward spiral into anorexia. Prom came and went, graduation passed, however, the new obsession was now to lose weight to look amazing for university. My first semester in university, due to the sudden stress and shock of transitioning from a small high school in Markham, to the University of Toronto’s entire campus, sent me into major depression. By April of my first year in university, not only had I dropped out, but also was hospitalized for six months at Credit Valley Hospital for anorexia. During my time there I got a chance to undergo intensive therapy and nutritional rehabilitation. It was then that I discovered my vocation.

While I was in the hospital, one thing that I noticed was that eating disorder programs were not catered to accommodate people of various cultures. In a multicultural Canadian society, it shocked me to learn of how few dieticians had knowledge on ethnic cuisine. At our eating disorder program, we used the diabetic exchange system to ensure that we were on a meal plan that sustained our nutritional needs. My inquiries about how I could incorporate more of my cultural dishes into my diet were left unanswered. That is why during the time that I was ill, I gave up the flavourful curries and spicy sauces that comprised my childhood.

Taking some time off school was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. During this time, I was a Starbucks barista at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. There, I actively engaged with patients, families, doctors, nurses and everyone who passed through, and saw first hand the comfort a hot cup of coffee gave to a tired parent returning from spending the night beside their child in ICU. I saw the smile that a perfectly pink cotton candy Frappuccino brought to a child’s face after she just finished her third round of chemotherapy. This experience taught me compassion, empathy, kindness, and that it is the little things, not grand gestures that lead to happiness. I knew then that I wanted to work in the healthcare and help people. I saw the emotional comfort and invigorating effect of food on the weary and sad.

While working in Starbucks, I also volunteered at my church. Between volunteer and work, I was still struggling to cope with my anorexia. I was hospitalized once more during March 2015, tube fed and brought back to a healthy weight. In September, after much fear and hesitation, I reenrolled into the University of Toronto. This past year has been spent on concentrating on my health as well as rediscovering my passion for learning.

I want to be admitted into the Applied Human Nutrition Program because I hope to become a dietician. I believe that due to my personal experience, I know first hand the importance of nutrition to the maintenance of health. I want to raise awareness about eating disorders, both in Toronto, the province, Canada, as well as the world. I want to advocate for the treatment and management of illnesses caused by malnutrition. I hope that because of my experience, I can inspire and motivate other girls like me to feel as though they are good enough, because that is what I am, and that is what we all are. Hopefully my appeal through this letter also helps you decide that I am good enough and worthy of admission into the program.

Thank you so much for your time.

Casilda Highland