Alyssa Reidhead Empowers Students Through Hands-On Learning 

Professional Practice Assistant Professor Alyssa Reidhead creates opportunities for students to take action and learn in the process. Her outstanding work providing students with meaningful and memorable learning opportunities in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences was recognized with the 2025 CAAS Undergraduate Faculty Mentor of the Year Award.

One of Reidhead’s most successful projects was a multidisciplinary effort with students and faculty from across the food science, dietetics, and nutrition science programs. Students were involved in all phases of this project, including research design, project implementation, data collection and analysis, product creation, and dissemination. The goal was to create a chocolate milk product high in flavonoids. With Aggie Creamery milk and Aggie Chocolate Factory chocolate, the students made, tested, packaged, and marketed their product. Valuable real-world learning was present in every step of the project. A new group of students is now working to expand the project even further.

Reidhead also organizes an annual wellness luncheon where students use the skills they’ve learned in other classes to educate up to 50 guests on a facet of personal health. Students consistently report the assignment to be the most rewarding of the semester.

Since 2021, Reidhead has worked to obtain funding for at least two undergraduate teaching fellows each year who work to create and run projects of their own design with Reidhead’s guidance. These projects have helped to improve the learning experiences for students in the classes they are assigned as well as being a valuable opportunity for the fellows themselves.

Reidhead writes an abundance of recommendation letters for students each year, helping them to get into graduate school or internship programs. Additionally, she continues to mentor students who have graduated from the program and are now working to launch their own practices or businesses.  

Reidhead acts as a role model and guide for the next generation of nutrition professionals and entrepreneurs, giving them the skills and confidence they need to succeed in their careers and make meaningful contributions to the nutrition field.