The Major Power of Minors ART BY DOWN THE STREET DESIGNS | ART DIRECTION BY KATIE SIPEK
With 90-plus minors—and more constantly taking shape—UCLA offers endless educational opportunities for resourceful students and faculty to innovate and collaborate. In their own words, here are a few stories of Bruins who crafted a powerfully unique path of their own.
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Sherwin Atighetchi physiological science major/food studies minor I want to go to medical school, so I’m majoring in physiological science to be as prepared as possible. But I’ve always felt that there isn’t enough of an emphasis on nutrition within medicine, so I chose to minor in food studies. I wanted to learn more about something I’m really passionate about and that I believe will make me a more effective doctor one day. Plus, I hope my minor will help me stand out more in the process of applying to medical school. I could have chosen a more traditional minor, but I wanted to pursue something that really interested me, and that I could talk about passionately in my medical school applications. The classes I’ve taken in food studies have been my favorites at UCLA, covering everything from nutrition to urban agriculture to the cultural significance of food—one of the best was a class on chocolate in the Americas. When people focus too much on their major, they don’t get to see the wide scope of study a place like UCLA has to offer. So having a minor opened up my entire college experience, where I could follow my curiosity and find joy in the unexpected.
