Alyssa Kauffman is no stranger to Logan County, as she grew up in West Liberty and graduated from West Liberty-Salem Local Schools. After high school, Alyssa attended Bluffton University in Bluffton, Ohio, where she earned a degree in Food and Nutrition with a concentration in Diatetics and a minor in Sociology. During her undergraduate years, she had the opportunity to be involved in various hands-on settings, including clinical experiences at St. Rita’s Hospital in Lima, Ohio, providing a Harvest Meal for the community and participating in Wellness Fairs. Upon graduating from Bluffton in 2017, Alyssa moved to Brookings, South Dakota. There, she attended South Dakota State University (SDSU) for a master’s degree in Nutrition and Exercise Science. Within this graduate program, she also completed the required supervised internship hours to sit for the national registered dietitian examination. During these programs, she focused on research for her thesis project concerning the older adult population. Specifically, she focused on how nutrition and dietary intake affect muscle and overall body composition and health in that population. During the internship portion, she had various experiences, including clinical and food service rotations at the local rural hospital, WIC, local schools, Native American Reservations, wellness centers and local grocery stores. These experiences contributed to Alyssa’s interests in community nutrition and population health, as well as working with all ages, but she enjoys working with the younger generations and has a certificate in Transdisciplinary Childhood Obesity Prevention, as well, from SDSU. Outside of work, Alyssa enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring new restaurants, traveling, being active with yoga, Zumba, walking, or rollerblading, reading or putting together puzzles.