Mentoring programs

Facilitated Mentoring Program

Since 2018, Tammie has been running the nutrition specific facilitated mentoring program for all international students in Bachelor of Nutrition Science and Master of Nutrition and Dietetics. Across the teaching semester, international students across the 5 year-levels are invited to meet regularly and discuss shared acculturation issues, including strategies to enhance food knowledge, understand Australian way of communication, practise conversational English and extend our cross cultural understanding. All meetings are facilitated by Tammie (based on principles of collective mentoring) with incorporation of food tasting and fun activities!

Alumni mentoring

Since 2021, the mentoring program has extended to include an additional arm of alumni mentoring. Selected graduates were approached and registered as alumni mentors. Some of these alumni mentors have returned home and are working in the nutrition profession. Others have stayed in Australia and are working as cross-cultural nutrition and dietetics professionals. They provide near-peer support to our international students by sharing their experience of back-transitiong and translating their Australian dietetics knowledge back home, and/or their experience of navigating the system and becoming a new migrant and a cross-cultural health professional. Our current alumni mentors are:

Chloe Lee (graduated in 2019, currently based in Hong Kong)
Ann Cheung (graduated in 2019, currently based in Hong Kong)
Alvin Surya Tjahyo (graduated in 2019, currently based in Singapore)
Kezlyn Lim (graduated in 2019, from Singapore, currently based in Melbourne)
Selene Yeo (graduated in 2021, from Malaysia, currently based in Melbourne)
Sophia Lam (graduated in 2022, from Hong Kong, currently based in Melbourne)

SpeeD mentoring 2023

In Aug 2023, we ran a "speed mentoring" session for all Master of Nutrition and Dietetics international students, where 5 esteemed graduates-as-mentors from different country of origin, of varied level of work experience and areas of dietetics expertise, and at different level of acculturation shared their journey with the 25 students. Students were able to ask these mentors about their experience on deciding to stay in Australia, challenges in getting their first dietetics job, opportunities to contribute to the community and keep growing as young health professionals. At the end of the 3-hour event, all students worked away with tips and feeling empowered to make a difference as emerging dietitians with unique cultural knowledge and skills.

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