Growing up in Albania, Dea Ziso experienced food as part of her culture, preparing and enjoying meals with family. As a nutritional sciences major in the dietetic program, she is fascinated with the number of childhood food allergies in the United States and feels it may be in part because children spend so much time indoors with less exposure to animals and nature. Ziso plans to pursue a registered dietitian certification and a master’s degree, while continuing her clinical research. She feels that her background will help in relating to clients from different cultures. She hopes to work in a clinical setting, particularly one specializing in pediatric nutrition and food allergies. Read more about Dea’s experiences as a UConn student.
What attracted you to the UConn College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources?
Ever since I was a little girl, I learned that as you connect more with nature and animals, you learn more about yourself and become more positive. From the moment I attended the UConn orientation, the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources attracted me the most because it was the only school where students can mix the science of health with nature and its resources. In the end this is what makes us human, we are a part of nature and are always in the process of adapting and becoming the best version of ourselves.
Why did you choose your particular major?
I always knew I wanted to help people, but I did not like the idea that everyone would get so busy and forget to take care of themselves, only looking for help when the situation had degraded and they had gotten sick. I wanted to find a way to prevent illness and help people stay healthy and happy in a natural way. Nutritional sciences is the major that I believed would give me the knowledge and skills to achieve my goal.
I was born and raised in Albania, a small country in the heart of Mediterranean. Growing up, my family and I never had choices when it came to meat, eggs, dairy or even vegetables. The milk would come fresh in the morning, which my grandmother would boil to “pasteurize” it. With the milk, we would make our own yogurt and butter. The cheese and meat were bought from the local store. When it came to vegetables and fruit, farmers would drive from different villages in the city and sell them by the side of the road. We would only consume seasonal fruits and vegetables and I did not know that you could eat strawberries in winter until I came to America. When I moved here, it was a cultural shock for me because everything was labeled and already prepared, or half prepared at the supermarket. I moved here as a junior in high school, and in one of my classes we were talking about body image and obesity. It spiked my curiosity that so many people had malnutrition when they had so many more options. This is where I started to watch a lot of documentaries about nutrition and human health. I started learning how food can make people feel and how it is the key of prevention to so many diseases, and this is when I decided to choose dietetics and nutrition as a career.
Which one of your UConn activities, internships or jobs was the most memorable? Why?
The most memorable activity at UConn is my experience as a director of the Student Government Association at UConn Stamford. I was in charge of planning activities on and off campus with my co-director. This job helped me develop skills in leadership skills and working in groups, but also connected me with people who are now my closest friends. Planning and organizing events required a lot of work at times, but when it all came together, everyone enjoyed it. One of my favorite events is the Thanksgiving dinner. We decorated a cozy atmosphere and brought in traditional Thanksgiving food for over 600 students and during the dinner there was karaoke, music and short videos. We decided that whoever wanted to enter the event needed to donate a can of food or dried food, so raising donations and giving back to the community and people in need was very rewarding.
Name two other experiences that have enriched your studies.
Two experiences that have enriched my studies have been the independent study with Professor Michael Puglisi and working as a dietary aide. The independent study focused on community nutrition, and I had the chance to visit different cities in Connecticut and learn about food insecurities. During that time, I got to meet different people and look at some malnutrition problems up close. Throughout the course, we would give nutrition information and show someone on a budget how to pick nutritious food when shopping.
Throughout my time at UConn, I have worked as a dietary aide at Mansfield Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. This has given me an opportunity to learn about the clinical point of view. I have worked with people with dysphagia and learned how we can provide nutritious, tasty and presentable food to them. It has also introduced me to many people with allergies and the necessary caution and safety level when preparing meals for them.
What has been the biggest challenge in your UConn career?
My biggest challenge in my UConn career was when I changed campuses from Stamford to the main campus at Storrs. I have never lived on my own away from my family, so that was a little hard for me. I would always want to go visit them every weekend, but yet I wanted to use that time to get to know people and the campus and get involved. Also, I learned how many opportunities UConn has to be involved and I wanted to do absolutely everything. I remember going to the Involvement Fair and realizing that I signed up in more than seventeen clubs. My first semester here at Storrs, I was part of five different clubs and two jobs on campus, one in the biology department and one in the nutritional sciences department. Throughout these years here at UConn, I have realized that there are clubs, activities, work study and opportunities for everyone, but you need to prioritize and manage the schedule well so you will not get overwhelmed or fall behind on your academics, since that it the main reason why we are here.
When do you expect to graduate? What then?
I am graduating in May 2020. After graduation, I would like to apply to internships that focus in clinical nutrition. My long-term goal is working with children with allergies and doing more research behind the reason why the developed countries have more allergy cases than developing countries. The goal and desire about this specific concentration came as a comparison of two environments, here and in Albania. Back in Albania, there are not many allergy cases. Coming here, I have seen many people with allergies, many of which are life threatening.
Is there anything else you would like us to know about you?
I was born and raised in Albania, and I moved here when I was sixteen years old. Getting the experience of two different countries and cultures has helped me a lot when it comes to understanding people better and in my field. I have grown to learn that food is not just a “fuel” or a nutritious input in your body, but also part of people’s culture. This has made me more open minded when it comes to helping people incorporate healthy choices in their diet. Having the advantage of growing up in two different countries very far and very unique from one another have helped me notice how culture plays a big role in humans and their relationship with food. An example of that is that here in America the stereotype of beauty and healthy is a thin body, including underweight in some cases. Meanwhile in Albania, people consider healthy someone who leans more towards the overweight side.
