Sandeep Kaur Davuluri’s path to nutrition has been anything but conventional. As an undergraduate at the University of Rochester, she studied studio arts and painting. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she worked in finance. Now she is earning a master’s degree in nutrition. “Having such a diverse background really helps me to pull things together,” she says. “Art is free form; finance is organized. In studying nutrition, I can use both perspectives.”

As a student at Syracuse University, Sandeep has enjoyed the way her education has given her a taste of the different areas of nutrition—from clinical to community to science. “You’re exposed to all different aspects of the field, which helps you make an informed decision about where you want to go from here,” she says. “There’s so much you can do with nutrition.” As she has explored those possibilities, the faculty and staff have been especially supportive. “If you have a specific interest within the discipline, they are really good about helping you delve further into it,” she says. “They have really pushed me to take that extra step and reach my potential.”

In turn, Sandeep is able to help others through her role as a graduate assistant in the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, working with Dr. Sarah Short and students in the Nutrition in Health course. “I enjoy working one-on-one with the students, helping them understand nutrition,” she says. “They come from all different backgrounds, but I think my own varied background helps me relate to them and understand where they’re coming from.” 

Sandeep chose to study nutrition because she has “always loved the science of it,” and her thesis is a reflection of that: she is working on a study of the intracellular biochemical aspects of nutrition. “I believe that a better understanding of intracellular processes and the ways they affect health will ultimately lead to a better understanding of biological diseases based on nutritional deficiencies,” she says. Eventually, Sandeep would like to pursue a career teaching and conducting research on the biomedical aspects of nutrition.