Christina Vollbrecht
Master’s in Sociology, graduated in 2013
Originally from the USA, currently working as Community Culinary Dietitian, Boston Medical Center.
Interview conducted by Michaela Nespěchalová, January 2026.
- Could you walk us through your journey from Masaryk University to your role today?
I found the English language masters of sociology program at MUNI while I was living and working as an English language teacher in Bratislava. I had spent a semester in undergrad in Brno through ISEP/Erasmus, and knew the quality of education I could expect from the Faculty of Social Studies. My bachelor’s degree was modern European history and shifting to sociology was a logical step from understanding the past to the present.
When I returned to the states after finishing my degree I did not have a clear career path ahead of me. Food had become central to how I communicated with people, particularly from different cultures, as it is a common denominator that does not require spoken language to share and understand. I also grew up in a stereotypical American household and we did not cook together, I wanted to learn this essential life skill. So I became a restaurant chef.
Working in fine dining in Washington DC taught me incredible lessons about hard work, dedication, team dynamics, and ultimately - the broken food system. The longer I worked in food production, the more disillusioned I became - about agriculture, eating habits, disparities in access, and certainly food industries.
Simultaneously, I became a caretaker for my ailing father. I saw how his treatments impacted his ability to eat, and how his inability to eat impacted his ability to heal. I could not understand why his nutrition status was not part of the bigger conversation with his care team. Feeding him became yet again a way I could communicate, this time my love and concern.
I left the world of professional cooking. I worked on organic farms, and went back to university for a master of science in nutrition and integrative health. I wanted to continue to work with food, but for healing. Today I work at the intersection of food, medicine, and community health. I work in a culturally diverse community on food access, nutrition security, and developing self-efficacy and self-management of chronic metabolic disease conditions. We use food as the language to bridge cultural divides, sharing accumulated knowledge and traditional pathways for healing and health agency amidst a conventional system that typically shuns such approaches.
2. Looking back, what aspects of your studies or student life at the Faculty of Social Studies had the biggest impact on your career development?
My experience in Brno both as a student and as a foreigner provided the tools, confidence, and an underpinning theoretical perspective that has propelled me forward from one pursuit to the next. The ability to reflect critically on the systems working around me, to question motivation, power, and authority, has allowed me to see alternative possibilities and more inclusive and holistic approaches to life and to health and wellbeing.
3. How would you describe the atmosphere in your Sociology classes and seminars, and what did you appreciate most about the teaching style or learning environment?
My cohort was two Chinese, one South African, a Ukrainian, and myself. It was such a balanced group of perspectives to discuss various social and power structures, in a completely unbiased and neutral, safe environment. It hasn’t been until my current professional position that I’ve found myself surrounded by individuals so willing to speak frankly and with genuine curiosity and open-mindedness.
4. What did you enjoy most about student life in Brno and at the Faculty, and how did these experiences contribute to your time at Masaryk University?
Brno is the ideal student city. It’s commutable, gorgeous, full of delicious food and drink and distraction from the library. While I did not live in the city (or country) during my masters program, I was able to access in-person classes by training in from Bratislava twice per week. Brno is close to everywhere! Also - the food canteen on the ground floor of the FSS building saved the day so many times.
5. When you look at your life and career now, what do you feel has stayed with you from your Masaryk University experience, both professionally and personally?
Masaryk is where I came of age. Stepping blindly into a foreign city, with no expectations and an open future, MUNI was a gateway to the world for me.