From #BiomedsLife to #NutritionistToBe: continuation of my journey at KI

8 October, 2018

Hello and TERE TULEMAST!

Yes, I just greeted you in Estonian! You know, living this expat life in Stockholm & slowly, but steadily forgetting your own national language calls for some desperate measures 😀

Hello everybody, my name is Dasha Shvaikovskaya, I am a nearly 22 y.o. slavic girl born and raised in Estonia who found herself residing in Stockholm for more than three years now! Ohh, time flies x)

I did my Bachelor’s in Biomedicine at KI and have just started my Master’s Programme in Nutrition Science, which is not only brand new to me but for the whole KI community in general, as they are doing it for the first time! Man, what a time to be alive 😀

How it all started…

Ever since becoming a vegetarian in far 2012, I got very interested in diets as a whole and plant-based nutrition in particular. Wanting to stop harming the animals on the one hand, but not starting to harm my own health – on the other, I did a lot of independent research about the health aspects of different diets and found myself becoming more and more interested in the nutrition area. It always seemed so fascinating to me to see how the way we eat can affect our general state of health and well-being, prevent or promote the progression of certain diseases. Moreover, with non-communicable diseases (like cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes type-2 and certain types of cancer) literally becoming the “global epidemics” of the 21st century, paying more attention to what we “put on our plate” and promoting active, healthy lifestyle is of the utmost importance.

Why Sweden?

To be completely honest, I never considered Sweden as my study destination when I was still in high school, but after being rejected from a med school back home in Estonia (yes, happens to the best of us x), my horizon has to broaden, reaching out to our Scandinavian neighbours 😀 Curious to explore Swedish culture & find out more about the land of “lagom” and “fika” + being accepted to one of the world’s best medical universities made me make up my mind in favour of Stockholm pretty quickly.

Studying at KI – my dream university – taken to the new (MSc!) level!

After having graduated from the Bachelor’s Programme in Biomedicine at Karolinska Institutet I can easily say that this is one of the best things that have happened to me. The amount of theoretical and practical knowledge I have gained in the field of biomedical research, all the amazing people I have met, all the unforgettable memories I have made and all the gratitude I feel for having been given the chance to spend 3 years of my life at KI is simply MASSIVE.

And, starting the with the new Master’s programme on a topic I am really passionate about, that is being taught at a university that is well-known for its outstanding research and academic excellence, I cannot help but just be super-happy and excited!