Through New Mexico State University's Fashion Merchandising and Design program, undergraduate student Lizbeth Nuñez learned the intricacies of custom boot-making and the importance of craftsmanship – and earned an internship to boot.

"This internship opportunity at Rocketbuster Handmade Custom Boots allowed me to develop valuable skills such as attention to detail, project management and working with a team of wonderful individuals," she said. "Moreover, working closely with passionate professionals has inspired me to pursue a career that values creativity and precision."

Nuñez is one of many students involved in experiential learning opportunities across the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. These programs open doors to self-discovery and allow students to tap into their creative side, learn business skills and gain hands-on professional experience before graduating.

"It can be in fashion, beauty, home goods, cosmetics – all those different areas. Our program is also a discovery program in many ways," said Kelley Coffeen, assistant professor in the Fashion Merchandising and Design program. "We are the only program in the state of New Mexico, and we have a lot of students from El Paso in our program. Some students come in on the creative side and a lot of them end up moving to the business side."

Sustainable fashion

One increasingly popular experiential learning opportunity is the Remade Runway Sustainable Met Gala Fashion Show, hosted each spring by the Student Association of Fashion Merchandising and Management and the Aggie Fashion Club.

The fashion show brings together dozens of Fashion Merchandising and Design students who create sustainable, upcycled fashion using materials like paper, trash bags, shower curtains, bubble wrap, newspapers, water bottles and donated fabric. They showcase their designs in a runway show in Corbett Center Student Union while making a positive environmental difference and educating the public about sustainability.

"The fashion industry is making great strides in minimizing the industry's impact on the environment," Coffeen said. "Our students want to share alternative materials by upcycling and repurposing in design. Their designs are creative and inspirational."

New era for food science

With the opening of the new Food Science, Security and Safety Center in 2023, a new era of experiential learning dawned at NMSU. The state-of-the-art facility houses modern laboratories and classrooms used by researchers and students to advance food and meat science research in New Mexico. Once open, a student-run butcher shop – Pistol Pete's Premium Meats – will provide additional food service- and retail-training opportunities.

Francine Mezzomo Giotto, an assistant professor in the Food Science and Technology program, said the new facility has helped students understand career opportunities within the meat industry.

"Students are exposed to activities that promote critical thinking, professional development and teamwork abilities," Mezzomo Giotto said. "We teach everything from animal welfare, transportation, animal regulations, production, commercialization, safety, sensory analysis and product development. In addition, over the last year, some of our students traveled to Arkansas, Colorado and Nebraska to engage in professional development opportunities with the biggest processing facilities in the United States."

Andrea Solar, a graduate student in the Food Science and Technology program, said many of her classes have included hands-on components and trainings that have greatly increased her knowledge of meat science and food safety.

"The hands-on laboratory courses have been instrumental in deepening my understanding of food microbiology, which is crucial for ensuring compliance with industry food safety regulations," Solar said. "During my first year, I have been involved in three student training and education programs that will have an impact on my career. These programs exposed me to various career paths within the sector and included visits to meat-processing facilities."

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Other students like Atlee Musgrave, an undergraduate in the Fashion Merchandising and Design program, have experienced interdisciplinary opportunities. Working with Coffeen and Merranda Marin, a professor in the Human Development and Family Science program, Musgrave conducted a research project on the impact of fashion in giving students a sense of belonging.

"Doing a research project that teamed fashion with the college community was a great opportunity," Musgrave said. "Dr. Marin and Dr. Coffeen walked me through and supported my research experience, which gave me confidence in doing research in the future."

Marin said it's not very common for fashion students to be interested in research-related areas.

"So, we worked together to help mentor this student so that he could go through the research process and could understand it," Marin said. "We talked about how wearing school colors and school gear could enhance a student's sense of belonging, and it gave the student a great foundation of understanding how to carry out his research study, and I think that's important, too."

Meanwhile, Marin said, the Human Development and Family Science program has made efforts in recent years to enhance its curriculum to help students meet their fullest potential. This includes adapting courses in the program for online accessibility to better accommodate non-traditional students, many of whom are working parents of young children.

"We've connected with NMSU Global, and we're moving our undergraduate program to be a completely online program," she said. "Working with NMSU Global has really forced us to really look at what our program outcome learning objectives are and see if they are accurate or reflective of the world that we're seeing today."

A version of this story was originally published in the fall 2024 issue of ACES Magazine. For more stories, visit https://nmsu.news/aces-magazine-fall-2024.

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-students-dive-into-hands-on-experiential-opportunities/s/aa72b602-4ef9-49c4-b437-1a41447d283a