LAS CRUCES – It only took one batch of burned tostadas and the message was clear, communication is key. New Mexico State University Executive Chef Pete Mitchell shared this valuable lesson during the second week of Aggie Academy’s Wellness Wednesday.
The Aggie Academy is one of the virtual summer programs of the TRIO Upward Bound Gadsden Independent School District / Las Cruces Public Schools 2021 Crimson Summer Institute. The six-week program, which runs from June 1 to July 13, features an academic curriculum that includes math, English, reading, science, career preparation and college knowledge, a foreign language, and educational and cultural workshops.
This summer, the program included a study abroad theme as well as a new component, Wellness Wednesdays, which deals with health and financial wellbeing. Wellness Wednesdays, which ended on July 7, included diet and etiquette with Andrea Arrigucci, program coordinator for the NMSU’s Marriott Hospitality Futures Center, and virtual cooking with Mitchell.
“The weekday day kept our students interested and motivated in higher education and laid the foundation for study abroad and healthy eating on a college student budget,” said Rosa De La Torre-Burmeister, TRIO Upward Bound GISD / LCPS program director. “You have learned that diet and etiquette are inexpensive and that they help with mental and financial well-being.”
During Mexican cuisine, when the tostadas were overcooked, Mitchell stressed the importance of expressing themselves, “they learn the simple things they take for granted.”
Mitchell, who has been a faculty member for the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management at the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences for six years, said he was pleased with the students’ skills.
“Many feel comfortable in their own kitchen and are very creative,” he says. “I was surprised by the pictures they are sending back to us.”
Arrigucci, who led the weekly lectures before the cooking presentations, said she and Mitchell hoped the curriculum would be a unifying experience.
“We were very focused on showing that the world is a really big place,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating to take the time to consider other people’s cultures, behaviors and experiences, and to try new techniques and foods.”
Additional Wednesday wellness programs included mental wellness led by Marie Zubiate and a team of advisors from the Aggie Health and Wellness Center; Tai Chi for mind, body and soul with Shigang Liu, TRIO Upward Bound Instructor; financial wellbeing with Amanda Morales, United Way of Southwest New Mexico CEO and the Money Smart team.
To learn more, visit https://trioub.nmsu.edu/ and https://trioub.nmsu.edu/gisd-lcps/.
Tiffany Acosta writes on Marketing and Communications for New Mexico State University and can be reached at 575-646-3929 or email at tfrank@nmsu.edu.
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