Hunger gains: How an appetite for food studies unlocked a fruitful UCLA experience for Lumina Chan

Lumina Chan might be the only one on campus who isn't a fan of Westwood's squirrels. If others could see what they've done to the pomegranate trees and passionfruit vines she oversees on The Hill, the squirrels might lose favor with others - especially after hearing what happened with the sugar snap peas.

"They were the crunchiest, sweetest sugar snap peas I've ever had," said Chan, who has served as the garden coordinator at the jane b Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Community Garden this past academic year. There, she supports workshops, volunteer days, harvesting and maintenance of the 32 raised plots available to Bruins and members of the broader Los Angeles community.

The bushy-tailed pest situation has had some silver linings. Squirrel mitigation has inspired Chan and other gardeners to switch to crops less likely to attract the furry visitors, including herbs, onions, lemongrass, cherry tomatoes and chili peppers.

"It smells incredible up there," said Chan, who transferred from UC Santa Barbara her junior year because of UCLA's food studies minor.

The shift toward herbs and other aromatic crops in the garden has benefited both the UCLA Community Programs Office's Food Closet and the UCLA Teaching Kitchen on campus, illustrating one way Chan's passion for food intersects with her work as a physiological science major interested in nutrition. While she has enjoyed getting her hands dirty in the garden, she has also become fascinated by food systems, food politics and the ways food environments shape communities.

As an international student from Hong Kong, Chan says she initially viewed nutrition through a largely physiological lens. Through UCLA's food studies minor, she began exploring the social, environmental and political forces that shape how people eat.

"I'm just really happy to see how the food and basic needs community at UCLA is growing, and how many meaningful connections can be made through this work," said Chan, who has worked with Chef Julia Rhoton at the teaching kitchen to put the garden's crops to use. This past year, Chan and the other garden coordinators collaborated with Rhoton to donate garden produce to the food closet for students and community members.

As part of a Harvest Day workshop with the teaching kitchen, Chan has also helped prepare budget-friendly, high-yield recipes such as Cowboy Caviar, a colorful mix of beans, corn, and fresh vegetables that is especially useful for college students looking for affordable meal-prep options.

"I like to see how my work is directly influencing those efforts," she said.

Chan hasn't pursued her food studies minor casually. In addition to her role at the garden, she has served as a student intern for The Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies under mentor and institute assistant director Erica Lee. In November 2025, Chan was one of two students to receive the Marcie Rothman Centennial Scholars Undergraduate Scholarship, the institute's premier undergraduate award recognizing students pursuing interdisciplinary studies, research and advocacy related to food systems, sustainability and food justice.

Chan has also conducted clinical trials research under the mentorship of Dr. Zhaoping Li, professor of medicine and chief of the division of clinical nutrition at UCLA Health. Since May 2025, Chan has been involved in Li's study examining the impact of daily pecan consumption on gut microbiota, skin health and aging.

"It was really meaningful because it was one of my first hands-on exposures to research and clinical studies," Chan said. "These experiences sparked my interest in pursuing nutrition research in my further education."

Chan has split her time between the institute and opportunities through the UCLA Semel Healthy Campus Initiative, where she worked as an undergraduate assistant with the EatWell Pod, one of six focus areas within the interdisciplinary wellness initiative. Through the pod, she helped support campus programs that connect students with food education, cooking experiences, cultural food traditions, food access and broader conversations about nutrition, wellness and sustainability.

Chan, who will begin a master's program in nutrition at Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy this fall, says one of the things she'll miss most about UCLA is the initiative's annual end-of-year celebration, which spotlights work from across the initiative and brings together people from around campus for educational panels, live music, food and networking.

This year, Chan's pod hosted a cultural recipe contest, selecting four student entries to be featured in cooking demonstrations filmed at the teaching kitchen and shared at the year-end event. Attendees had the opportunity to sample the dishes and learn about the cultural meaning behind each. The featured recipes included a European dish inspired by a student's grandmother, a Japanese recipe whose careful preparation symbolized love and peace, a Chinese comfort food dish and a Lebanese dish that reflected memories of summers spent sharing meals outdoors with family and neighbors.

"It's just really nice to see how students at UCLA are so passionate about cooking and that they want to showcase their culture's food," Chan said. "That just makes my heart really full."

Back at the garden, Chan has seen similar inspiration take root through programs like UCLA Volunteer Day. She says many volunteers who helped out in the garden later returned to apply for plots of their own.

For Chan, the space offers visitors a chance to clear their minds, practice self-care and reconnect with nature. She's experienced some of that herself in recent weeks, finding delight in watching just how high a Mexican sunflower can grow in the span of two weeks.

"What I learned the most from UCLA is that it's OK to try everything and to explore every option," said Chan. "It's really a great space to discover everything and then try to find your passion."

Looking back, Chan credits UCLA's food studies community with helping her connect interests that once felt separate. What began as a search for nutrition coursework evolved into a broader understanding of how food shapes health, culture, sustainability and access. Along the way, mentors, classmates and colleagues helped her see a future that combines research with community impact.

"My wish is that all students at UCLA can find their niche through connections with the professors and within their circles," Chan said. "I feel like that's the magic at UCLA. It's such a big school, but you will find the right people at the end of the day.