BC Dining's Nutrition Navigators program wins NACUFS grand prize
A Boston College Dining Services initiative designed to assist students who have food allergies or other medical nutrition needs transition to campus life is the grand prize winner of this year's National Association of College and University Food Service (NACUFS) Nutrition Awards.
Nutrition Navigators, which matches first-year and transfer students with upperclass student mentors who face similar challenges and can offer guidance, also received a NACUFS gold award in the category of wellness and nutrition program of the year.
Operating as a one-on-one "buddy system," Nutrition Navigators was launched during the 2023-24 academic year by BC Dining Administrative Dietitian and Nutritionist Christina Karalolos, who says the idea came to her when she noticed there wasn’t yet a clear support system in place for students with unique dietary needs and restrictions.
Christina Karalolos (Caitlin Cunningham)
“After my first six months at Boston College, I still felt like something was missing in terms of support when I had a couple of conversations with a student,” said Karalolos. “Nutrition Navigators is a way to provide first-year students, transfer students, and even students newly diagnosed with medical nutrition needs or food allergies with support from a current student who has similar needs to their own. It’s nerve-racking to be a freshman trying to navigate dining halls and food in general. To know someone who has once been where you are just makes the transition so much easier.”
The program has been favorably received by both mentees and mentors, according to BCDS; qualitative feedback shows a peer mentor program is the preferred form of support for those with medical nutrition needs. As Nutrition Navigators enters its second academic year, growing student interest is evident, with some 50 registered mentees compared to last year’s six.
“We let the students organically make the relationships into what they want them to be. It’s not a formal process, which I think is attractive to students," said Karalolos, who recently was named Best Food Allergy Champion by nutritional support and training company MenuTrinfo. "Students can be involved in this program as much as they want, or it can be a one-time thing,”
While the program helps students navigate the food options available to them, Karalolos also noted that some students simply enjoy the sense of relief that comes with knowing a friendly face on campus who can share their experience.
Elizabeth Emery
Founded in 1958 as the first association to focus solely on food service in higher education, NACUFS has members in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and beyond. BC Dining has received more than 10 silver and gold NACUFS nutrition and sustainability awards over the years, including a grand prize in 2015 when Heights Catering was honored for its work at the Pops on the Heights scholarship gala.
The association’s grand prize in nutrition, awarded to the “overall highest impact" program, also considers an entry's forward thinking, achievability, and affordability.
Director of Dining Services Elizabeth Emery said she is thrilled by the recognition of the Nutrition Navigators program considering how many colleges and universities participate in the NACUFS awards every year.
"We are very proud of Christina Karalolos and our student intern team for their innovative ideas and impressive implementation of this program,” Emery said. “We hope the program helps students with medical nutrition needs make a smoother transition from home to Boston College Dining."
BC Dining is actively recruiting mentors and mentees for Nutrition Navigators. For more information on the program, email christina.karalolos@bc.edu or visit the BC Dining website.