A graduate of Montclair State University and Hunter College in New York City, Alyssa now works as a Women, Infant, and Child WIC, nutritionist in Essex County where she educates mothers and young children on the importance of healthy eating habits. Alyssa is also a media dietitian creating content for her various social media platforms and brand collaborations. She credits media dietitian, Fiorella DiCarlo RDN, CDN as one of her mentors. “I have been working with her since 2018. She helped me construct a creative outlet during college. I edited her YouTube videos and helped her with her social media. This inspired me to work on my own social media presence. She helped me get my foot in the door.” During her time at MSU, she was a graduate assistant to Mousumi Bose, who “was extremely influential in helping me develop my research skills.”
One of her biggest challenges has been to find a job that reflected her passion. “When I was applying for jobs, I was not interested in a position in the clinical setting, so I did not get a job right away. It was frustrating.” But she persevered. And now as many dietetic interns are nearing the completion of their internship, her advice to the new cohort of dietitians is to “follow your passions and interests. It is important to find what area of dietetics interests you and seek opportunities that are related to that area. This can help you determine if this is actually an area you want to work in. Not every dietitian needs to work in a community or clinical setting. This is why dietetics is so wonderful because there are so many areas for RDs to work. So, if you like sports nutrition, volunteer with a sports team or if you like writing, write for your school’s paper.”
Despite her busy schedule, Alyssa is currently training for the 128th Boston Marathon on April 15th. All for an excellent cause. “I am running with a charity team to raise money for a cause that is near and dear to my heart. I am raising money for Massachusetts General Brigham Eye and Ear which specializes in treating diseases of the head and neck. In 2020 I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and running helped me process my diagnosis and has helped me cope since.”
We applaud Alyssa’s strength!
IG:https://www.instagram.com/arugalyssa/?hl=en
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arugalyssa
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alyssasmolen
