Nutrition Faculty Debbie Fetter Shares Thoughts on Speaking at Commencement
For the full article, please see the post on the main site, posted June 11, 2024.
Debbie Fetter is one of five faculty members asked to speak at commencement ceremonies this weekend.
Debbie Fetter read the emailed invitation and couldn’t contain her joy.
“I literally yelled and immediately called my husband,” she said.
An assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Nutrition in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Nearly 7,000 graduating students and thousands more of their guests are expected to attend five undergraduate commencements at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“The thought of speaking to such a large audience terrifies me, but I knew I had to do it,” said Fetter, who will address the 2 p.m. ceremony on Friday (June 14). “Graduation marks the end of an era and a new beginning, and I’m excited to share this moment with our graduating students.”
Fetter, originally from New York state, considers herself a “Super Aggie” because she came to UC Davis in 2008 for her undergraduate degree, earned a doctorate here in 2018, and never left.
She said she will use her speech to reassure graduates that it’s OK to still be figuring things out. “Life is all about experiences and trying new things,” she said.
Maybe veggies are among those things? Fetter teaches one of most popular courses on campus, Nutrition 10, and said she is passionate about helping students and others make healthier nutrition and lifestyle choices. Yes, she said about her speech, “There may also be pieces of nutrition wisdom, and I hope to land a joke (or two).”
Because nutrition can have a major impact on someone’s quality of life, Fetter said, she tries to bring nutrition science to life in the classroom and even creates assignments that allow students to make real health-related change.
“The other month a student who took my class five years ago saw me in a parking lot and yelled out that he’s been eating his veggies ever since Nutrition 10 — that sort of thing makes my day!” Fetter added.