Alyssa N. Rockenbach (she/her) is Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University. Alyssa’s work explores questions such as: How do college students of different religious, secular, and spiritual identities make meaning of their lives and experience college? How do college students develop and sustain friendships across social differences? What are the facilitators of justice and equity for queer and trans people in higher education and society?

Alyssa was co-Principal Investigator of a five-year national study, the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey (IDEALS), which explored how educational experiences shape college students’ capacity to engage empathically across religious differences. Her work has been featured in media outlets such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, Huffington Post, Christian Science Monitor, and The Washington Post. Alyssa is co-author of the 2016 book, How College Affects Students: 21st Century Evidence that Higher Education Works.

Alyssa is deeply invested in supporting students’ journeys as emerging higher education scholars and professionals and creating humanizing community among students. She received her B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles.

‍