From shyly serving quarter chicken dinners to confidently serving as a department ambassador and mentor

A year spent serving quarter chicken dinners changed everything for science student Maya Zuppa-Holleville.

She’d applied to engineering schools after Grade 12 but wound up taking an unexpected gap year instead.  Her brother’s friend was studying chemical engineering and offered up a reality check. “He said his courses were all physics and math. That’s when I knew I’d be making a mistake.”

She’d done well in math and physics but loved chemistry thanks to her Grade 11 teacher Kristina Salciccioli at Cathedral High School in Hamilton. “She was really passionate about chemistry and became a role model for me.” During her gap year, Zuppa-Holleville mulled over her options and ultimately shifted her sights to studying chemical biology and then launching a career in the pharmaceutical industry.

It was too late to reapply to universities so Zuppa-Holleville landed a job waiting tables at Swiss Chalet. Her parents initially thought taking a year off was not a good idea. “They worried that I’d lose my momentum and never go to university.”

Zuppa-Holleville reassured her parents there was zero chance of that happening. She’d experienced university life through SHAD Canada and loved every minute of it. During the summer before Grade 12, she’d spent a month at Carleton University living in residence, going to lectures and working in labs. “I knew what was waiting for me. I just had to find the right program.”

Waiting tables for a year had an unexpected benefit. Zuppa-Holleville had excelled academically in high school but was painfully shy and extremely introverted. Staying silent in and out of the classroom had long been her default setting.

Yet she quickly made the connection between chatting up customers and earning bigger tips. Shift after shift, she gained confidence and got better at striking up conversations, especially with the 3 p.m. rush of regulars looking to get an early jump on dinner. “They were so kind and easy to talk with.”

She was accepted into McMaster’s Life Sciences Gateway program and moved into the Peter George Centre for Living and Learning. Thanks to her gap year, she was now comfortable and confident talking with strangers.  “I said hello and introduced myself to everyone I met. It was such a great experience.”

In second year, she chose the Chemistry Biology program and started helping out at ChemClub – a weekly social club for first-year students launched by assistant professor Jim Ghoshdastidar. Zuppa-Holleville put her server skills to work on Chem Club’s Waffle Day held heading into mid-terms and final exams. “So many people show up. Everyone loves waffles.”

Zuppa-Holleville was an invaluable addition to the ChemClub team, says Ghoshdasitar. “What struck me most about Maya is her capacity for empathy. She exudes positivity and warmth. She always seeks opportunities to build positive connections and is never afraid to be vulnerable and share her own experiences. That’s incredibly reassuring to first-year students.”

Impressed by her skills as a ChemClub mentor, Ghoshdastidar encouraged Zuppa-Holleville to consider applying for one of the 10 seats in the Chemical Science Outreach Ambassador course. It’s a pass/fail credit course that gives students hand-on experience in running chemistry demonstrations for the general public and supporting campus visits by high school students. “Students like Maya are closer in age to the students we’re reaching out to. It makes for more meaningful interactions.”

She applied, got accepted and will spend the winter term persuading first-year students to choose Honours Chemical Biology. “Our program gets a bad rap. Lots of students think first-year chemistry is the hardest course and the program will be more of the same. I want to switch the narrative.”

So what does Zuppa-Holleville tell prospective students? “If you love being in labs, this is the program for you. Plus, we have amazing professors and staff who genuinely care about students.”

Zuppa-Holleville is taking part in her first Magic of Molecules Show on Jan. 31^st. She’s been tapped to run the crowd-favourite elephant toothpaste demo – it shows how a catalyst speeds up a chemical process. Like free waffles, everyone loves watching a sudden explosion of foam. More than 250 attendees have registered for the department’s annual community outreach event. And in April, Zuppa-Holleville will help out at ChemLab Days – more than 600 high school students are expected to be on campus to get a preview of McMaster and the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology.

Zuppa-Holleville says none of this would’ve happened without the Swiss Chalet regulars who struck up conversations over their quarter chicken dinners and festive holiday meals.  So what’s her tip for other shy and introverted students who don’t have the benefit of taking a year off to wait tables?

“Know that everyone at Mac will be happy to talk with you. And there are lots of students who feel exactly like you. Just start by saying hello.”