“Doing sports was always part of me,” says Marie Bazarbachian ’25MS, ’26DIP, who recently completed the master’s in nutrition and health promotion with a research concentration, the didactic program in dietetics, and the certification in sports nutrition. Since childhood, she has been involved in competitive swimming and basketball, and currently coaches a girls’ basketball team in her community.
Although Bazarbachian initially thought she would become an optometrist, in time she realized that nutrition was a natural fit. “Over the years, a lot of my friends would come to me for advice about nutrition or fitness-related things,” she recalls. “Then, at some point, a family member suggested that I go and get a degree in nutrition so that I could actually do that [for a living] … So I put two and two together and it’s worked out really well.”
During her graduate studies, Bazarbachian worked with athletes directly. “I did a research project about individualized nutrition counseling, specifically among collegiate female athletes,” she says. For this project, she worked on improving dietary intake and nutrition knowledge for the Simmons swim team and track team.
An Adaptable Education at Simmons
Since her sister, Vickie Bazarbachian ’24, ’26MS did her undergraduate and now graduate education at Simmons, Bazarbachian was aware of the University’s fine reputation. “When I looked into Simmons, I noticed that it has a lot of great potential with the small class sizes, great professors … and the location is wonderful because Boston is known for its hospitals,” she says. “Simmons offers a lot of support, which makes me feel part of the community.”
Bazarbachian was able to customize her education to satisfy her interest in clinical nutrition. Now in her supervised practice rotations, she has received placement in a more clinical/hospital-based setting and has completed her rotation in a sports-related setting, as well.
“Simmons has helped tremendously in making it [the program] work for what my interests are … and helps secure opportunities that are local [geographically],” she says. In February, Bazarbachian will begin a hospital clinical rotation at Melrose Wakefield Hospital in Melrose, Massachusetts.
Although Bazarbachian came to Simmons without an undergraduate degree in nutrition, her professors have been encouraging. “The professors are so supportive and have given me many opportunities, which have also helped build my resume and experiences,” she says. “They also saw something that I did not see in myself, which was great.”
Career Preparation in and Beyond the Classroom
While Bazarbachian loved all of her coursework, her favorite class is “The Practice Clinical Dietetics” (NUTR 331), taught by Associate Professor Kathrina Prelack. “Since I come from such a clinical background and mindset, I loved this course because it gave us a more hands-on experience,” she says. “We did a lot of nutrition assessments, including client interviewing and assessing food and nutrient intake.”
In this course, Bazarbachian enjoyed the biweekly trips to the cardiology floor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “We would go there for our clinical day and see at least one patient. . . . We would take what we learned in class and do a patient interview, which was a wonderful experience,” she says.
During her final semester of her master’s program (Spring 2025), Bazarbachian was given the opportunity to step into a graduate assistant role for the course. “It was nice to take what I learned to help the incoming class.”
Through her Simmons connections, she also secured a nutrition health coaching job, which she still performs part time. “What I like about the Department of Nutrition is that they keep in contact with their students and alums and create a path for us,” she says. “A Simmons alum reached out that they were looking for health coaches, so that’s how I ended up getting that job … Simmons prepares you for professional and real-life work situations, which has opened a lot of doors for me and has connected me with many different people.”
A Charitable Cause
In addition to her internship program and nutrition coaching, Bazarbachian has also remained closely connected to her community — both locally and across her ancestral ties to Armenia and Lebanon. In 2020, she and four of her Armenian friends co-founded EyeSupport. In response to the 2020 explosion in Beirut (her dad is from Lebanon), this organization helped raise money to support the relief efforts.
Specifically, Bazarbachian and her collaborators made bracelets — initially with an Evil Eye design, from which the name EyeSupport comes. Together, they sold 400 bracelets and raised $40,000 for this humanitarian cause.
Since then, Bazarbachian and her group have continued finding meaningful ways to give back — whether through designing new products like bracelets and ornaments, hosting workout-based fundraisers, or organizing pop-up events to support different community initiatives. “This was a way for us to give back to our community and help people back home,” she says.
Rewards of the Nutrition Profession
Bazarbachian finds nutrition to be a gratifying field and profession. “For me, what I find the most rewarding about nutrition is the ability to create a meaningful, lasting impact within my community and beyond,” she says. “Nutrition feels like a bridge between education and empowerment — being able to support people through preventative nutrition, helping them understand their health before issues arise, is something I’m deeply passionate about. Whether I’m working with families, athletes, or young adults, I love seeing how small, intentional changes can build someone’s confidence and seeing the positive impact it can have on someone’s life.”
For Bazarbachian, nutrition is ultimately a community endeavor. “What makes it especially fulfilling is being able to extend my support beyond the local level. My Armenian roots and ties to the diaspora have connected me to people and communities globally, where health education and resources can be limited or inconsistent,” she says.
“Being able to support globally, through volunteer work, wellness initiatives, or simply sharing knowledge, reminds me why I chose this field,” she adds. “Nutrition has a unique way of strengthening bonds, uplifting communities, and creating opportunities for people to thrive, and knowing my work can make a difference both here and abroad keeps me inspired every day.”