Visiting the University of Windsor as a Grade 5 student inspired Amal Youssouf to pursue a career in nursing. Now a first-year UWindsor student, she felt nostalgic last week greeting youngsters from local elementary schools on campus for the School Health Fair.

The annual event sees first-year nursing students prepare displays and activities for grade five students related to the systems of the human body.

Youssouf has now seen the event from both sides.

“I recall when I was in fifth grade and went on a field trip to the University for the health fair,” she says. “I remember how the nursing students allowed my classmates and me to participate and making the learning fun and memorable. This was a valuable experience for me since I was able to learn about various systems of the body through interactive activities with the nursing students.”

This year saw more than 140 Grade 5 pupils from Marlborough, Westgate, and Brock — Youssouf’s alma mater — schools learning about everything from diabetes to the nervous system.

Youssouf was part of a group tasked with presenting the respiratory system.

“My role was to address peer pressure and how to say no to smoking,” she says, remembering that as a child, she was shown models comparing healthy lungs to those of diseased smokers.

She says it was “heart-warming” to see the excitement on the faces of this year’s attendees — and even had a chance to reconnect with one of her teachers from General Brock.

The health fair is a valuable learning experience for both sets of students, says Debbie Dayus, clinical practice learning specialist in the Faculty of Nursing.

“The grade schoolers have a chance to learn a great deal about many aspects of health,” she says. “And our nursing students pass on some of their knowledge while honing presentation skills they will use through their careers.”