Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'all. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the Capstone and Happy 2025, my friend.
[00:00:17] Speaker C: Hey, we are back for the spring semester. It's our first time back. I'm so excited. How have you been?
[00:00:23] Speaker B: I'm okay. You know, it's so strange because. And again, we have acknowledged this on the show many times in regards to pre recording, as any podcast does, but you know, and also as a radio show, we'll disclose that too. So sometimes there are times where we record in one month, but then it airs in another month. So our listeners will be listening to this in February. And I don't know if you felt this way, Nika, but I have felt some kind of way about January.
It has either felt really long in certain moments or. Or has felt like it has gone by really fast. And sometimes when I think about it going by fast is when I start thinking about my February obligations. But I don't know. How about for you, like just work wise, like, how has January felt for you?
[00:01:15] Speaker C: 72 days long?
[00:01:17] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:01:17] Speaker C: Yeah, it has felt like two months in one to me. I feel like I'm like, let's get on out. But I think the weather has a lot to do with that. I think the days that are pretty and sunny and just springy, the months tend to fly by for me.
[00:01:34] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I totally get that. And then also too, I was thinking about you the other day, you know, for you as an academic advisor and thinking about students coming back for the spring semester. Do any, do any students kind of basically panic meet with you during January?
[00:01:52] Speaker C: Oh, that's all it is, you know.
[00:01:53] Speaker B: Where it's like either, you know, they go home for the break, their family has kind of questioned their choices about major. Kind of planted the seed of like, do you really need to be matrix or whatever else or, you know, how do I get myself together to perform better academically this year?
[00:02:09] Speaker C: So since we started so early, it feels like in the semester, you know, we started January 8th. So right out the gate, lots of panicked emails about, I don't have all my classes set yet. I need to hurry up and get some, you know, like one more class. I've been waiting on a seat to come open. It's not come open and classes start next week. Then that whole first week we have add drop, so they're final time to add another class to that spring semester. And then as soon as that happened, then it was, hey, I Want to talk to you about summer and fall. So it's been nonstop.
[00:02:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:02:43] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:02:44] Speaker B: Well, I love that you and other advisors can kind of talk some reality into the student as far as, like, how to pace themselves, I would assume. Because, you know, I think even myself, my brain, like, if I'm idle, like, I can go into some really deep, dark, like, doom thoughts about someone.
[00:03:03] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:03:03] Speaker C: I had someone email me today and said, hey, I think I know the answer to this, but I just need to hear it from you again because I am in a stress spiral. And so I confirmed, you know, what we had said was still the. Still, you know, the plan. And the student was like, thanks again. Just had to hear it again from you.
[00:03:22] Speaker D: And I was like, I know we just need some.
[00:03:23] Speaker C: Sometimes we just need that reassurance.
[00:03:25] Speaker B: We need a voice of reason, all the good things. But I was gonna ask you too, so, you know, again, acknowledgin. This is our first show back since the start of the spring semester. How was the winter break for you? Was there anything that you wanted to. To accomplish during our time off that you got to.
[00:03:44] Speaker C: It felt very short. Did it feel short to you?
[00:03:47] Speaker B: It did, yes.
[00:03:49] Speaker C: Did I get anything accomplished? I did get a little bit of a head start on some of my spring classes.
[00:03:57] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:03:57] Speaker C: So that felt really good. How about you?
[00:04:00] Speaker B: Yes and no. Because I'm, you know, again, I'm trying to think, like, what did I. Did I say I wanted to accomplish something? So what did I do?
[00:04:08] Speaker C: I think the last semester, if our listeners remember, you were working on some decluttering.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: Oh, yes, you were correct. Okay, so some of that did happen. Yes. So there were some trips to make some donations, things of that nature. So I did get some progress there. Is it as much progress as I would have liked? No, but we did get some out of the way also. We, our family made a big investment in going to the movies a lot over the break. That's just not, you know, and for the age of my kids, they. They've just started in the era of kind of going to the movies. But I'm trying to think what we watched. We watched Moana 2 and then we also watched Sonic 3. And movies are just so expensive. And, you know, I'm not going to speak of any illegal activity of like smuggling outside food or beverage, but, you know, I certainly understand why. Yes, people like that, you know, we listen and we don't judge, as they say on the social media.
I don't know. But I will stop us here because I'm looking At the time. And I'm like, we got to get back on task. You know, we have a really great show today. You know, as listeners are thinking, oh, my goodness, it's already February.
Like, is it too late for me to get plugged in? How do I get plugged in? What's going on this semester? We're going to address that today.
[00:05:26] Speaker D: All right.
[00:05:27] Speaker C: I love it.
[00:05:27] Speaker B: It's really great. But, you guys, we got to take a quick break. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the cast.
[00:05:38] Speaker A: WVUAFM, Tuscaloosa.
[00:05:47] Speaker C: Happy Sunday, listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: Yes. And so we alluded before the break that we were going to be talking a little bit about involvement on campus, things of that nature, just within the spirit of that. And so we always get excited to have amazing guests. I think, Nika, I hopefully, I feel confident, speaking for both of us, that we get even more excited when we can specifically have student guests.
[00:06:15] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:06:16] Speaker B: Because you guys are, you know, just the living, breathing embodiment of why our institution exists. And so. So today we have the pleasure of having Ms. Aubrey Grisaff, who is the SGA Vice President for Belonging and wellness. And so as I say that title, I have all the questions about what that. What that entails. And I know we'll get to it at some point. But first off, Aubry, welcome.
[00:06:42] Speaker D: Thank you so much. Thank you guys so much for having me. I'm really excited to be here and excited to get to chat with you guys.
[00:06:48] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:06:50] Speaker C: So, Aubry, tell me a little bit and help our listeners understand. Where are you from, what is your major, and what made UA stand out to be your choice for where you're gonna, you know, get your undergraduate degree?
[00:07:05] Speaker D: Yes, of course. So I am originally from Tulsa, Oklahom, and this is my third year here at the University of Alabama. I'm majoring in political science, but I'm also on the accelerated master's program track for my master's of public administration.
So it's been an incredible opportunity to kind of get an insight into, like, the world of the graduate degree programs here on campus while also getting to work on my undergraduate degree. So what really stuck out to me about UA whenever I was going through the college application and admissions process was that UA was incredibly proactive about their outreach to students coming from Oklahoma. I had never really considered the University of Alabama to be somewhere where I foresaw Myself going. And then as I got further into the process, I just felt like I was constantly being pursued by Alabama recruiters in a way that other schools did not take the time and intentionality to do. And then on top of that, it made it a lot easier whenever they were so incredible with their scholarships for out of state students, it's hard to say no. And then whenever I came to visit here, it just felt like it had everything that I wanted or could ever want in a university.
And so I feel really lucky every single day that I chose to come here. And it's just been an incredible experience.
[00:08:19] Speaker B: Oh, I'm so glad now, you know, thinking about you being from Oklahoma, because admittedly, and maybe it's because I'm out of touch with the students, but I don't feel like that's a state that I hear about a lot when I'm talking to our out of state students. So were there a lot of students from your community that also went to ua? You know, whether that be students that are older than you or, you know, some younger generations that, you know, are making their way to the capstone.
[00:08:47] Speaker D: Yeah, so it's kind of a unique experience because my year, there were actually multiple girls from my high school that decided to come to the University of Alabama. It was some. It was a place where there had been a couple alumni from my high school go. There's a pretty good pipeline from Tulsa, but not very significant.
And so our year was kind of an off year where there were a lot of us that came to Alabama since then. I think there's been a couple here and there, but overall not a super strong pipeline. And so all of us really did kind of decide, individually and of ourselves, through our own experience to come. And it wasn't like a group based thing, but it's been incredible. And anytime I can talk to a high school senior or junior, I try to put it on their radar.
[00:09:28] Speaker B: So that is awesome.
[00:09:29] Speaker C: I know our recruiters. Thank you for helping them out in that.
[00:09:33] Speaker B: Yes. And so I, you know, I believe I heard you earlier say political science and then doing accelerated master's with public administration. So I feel like with that combination you probably have a general sense of what you want to do. So kind of what does, what do career aspirations look like for you?
[00:09:52] Speaker D: Yes, that's a fantastic question. So right now my plan is to go into law school after finishing my undergraduate and master's degree at ua. I'm on track to finish in kind of the typical four year timeline, which will set me up nicely for if I choose to pursue UA law or if I decide to go elsewhere. I'm sure you guys are aware that UA has an incredible, incredible program for law school where you don't have to take the LSAT to be admitted into their law school. And then knowing that they have such incredible academic programs and resources is also a huge appeal. I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to take the LSAT and pursue that route, but knowing that I've gotten so much from my experience at UA already, it makes it a lot easier to look onto those prospective plans. As for what exactly I want to do once I enter, like the real world workforce, I'm not positive. I'm really passionate about policy and specifically kind of understanding the way that policy impacts, like, the daily lives of the people around us. And so hoping to kind of take those experiences and those understandings and spin them off into a successful career, hopefully informed by my law school experience.
[00:10:52] Speaker B: That's awesome.
[00:10:53] Speaker C: That is awesome. I love that. So other than being the SGA Vice President for Belonging and wellness, what are other areas on campus that you're involved in?
[00:11:02] Speaker D: So my primary locations for involvement on campus are, of course, with the Student Government Association. I've loved serving in my role. It's been a very unique year, but also very impactful in terms of getting to connect with different students, different administrators, different faculty members. But the very first thing that I got involved on campus was with the Crossing Points program, which is a program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It's a three year certificate seeking program where students get to be fully integrated into campus life. And so I've served as a mentor with that program since my first semester of my freshman year of college. One of the reasons why I actually decided that I was going to pursue the University of Alabama was because they had a program like Crossing Points. I was really involved in our disability community back at home, and I knew that it was something that I wanted to continue. And so that's how I got started on campus. And really that experience is what has opened so many doors for me to get involved in other things. I'm involved in a handful of different activities, but those are definitely my primary two that I derive the most joy and fulfillment from.
[00:12:03] Speaker B: Yeah, no, and, you know, it's always nice to hear from students as to the why that they choose the capstone. You know, one, I think one of the resounding responses we get is the scholarship factor, of course. But then, you know, we hear so much about how a recruiter really pursue those strong students. But then to hear about a, you know, certain programs that students see that really hit their passions that they've been involved with, and they're like, oh, I can be involved in this at a certain level in my collegiate years is really incredible. So I appreciate you sharing that with our listeners.
[00:12:38] Speaker D: Yes, UA is just such a unique school because I think coming from out of state, you don't realize how much exists here on campus. And even, like, as you're here, there's so much more that's growing and so much more that's becoming available. This year, I've had the honor of being a member of the inaugural class of the Shelby Scholars Program through the Shelby Institute for Policy and Leadership. And even that opportunity is something that I never would have dreamed of. And now I'm getting to go to these classes, learn from the former dean of the UA law school, but also the former chancellor of the UA system, and gain critical insights into what it means to truly be a leader in Alabama, but also at a national level. And so something that I always tell students that are even partially considering UA or here on campus is just to kind of look beyond the things that you're doing right now and see how many incredible opportunities are available to you, because they truly are endless.
[00:13:27] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh, she's awesome.
[00:13:29] Speaker C: They need to get her on a UA commercial.
[00:13:32] Speaker B: I know you're probably like, yes, yes, please.
[00:13:35] Speaker D: Okay, I'll take it.
[00:13:37] Speaker B: Now, how did family feel about you coming to Alabama as an Oklahoma family?
[00:13:42] Speaker D: Oh, my goodness. So my family's actually probably the biggest group of Oklahoma football fans ever in the whole entire world. So there was their fair share of shock, I think primarily at the start. It was like, is this really real? My brother was devastated. He's now 12, but whenever I was leaving, he was 10, and he started sobbing. He was like, no. Like, she can't go. Like, she can't go. Like, I hate Alabama. And so it's been fun to see, like, even how they've grown to, like, love the Gapstone. Like, they love coming to Tuscaloosa to visit. Everybody decks out in their Bama gear for Bama football games, unless they're playing against Oklahoma, of course, and then in the case, they will storm the field whenever Oklahoma wins. Unfortunately. That was a rough, rough game for me.
Yeah.
[00:14:24] Speaker B: Certainly. House divided.
[00:14:26] Speaker D: Yes. Oh, very much a house divided, although it was divided five to one. So I have four little siblings, and so both all my siblings and my parents were all cheering on the Sooners, and I was cheering on the Tide and my lonesome. It was definitely a rough game but still lots of fun to get to share that experience with them in Norman.
[00:14:44] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. Yeah, I can just imagine. Like, I don't know, I, I think, you know, Nika, for us, you know, our families tend to be pretty consistent with like our own fan following. So, you know, to think about having.
[00:14:58] Speaker C: That division like a true house divided, yeah, it's hard.
[00:15:01] Speaker B: But I know that we are coming up on a break. Aubrey, it has been so fun getting to learn more about you personally. I know that in our next segment we're going to be taking a deep dive with your involvement with SGA and specifically with the Capstone Wellness Explorer. But we've got to take a quick break, you guys. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 capstone.
[00:15:26] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
[00:15:36] Speaker C: Happy Sunday listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And we are joined today by our guest Aubrey Grisoff who is the SGA vice president for belonging and wellness at the Capstone. And Aubrey, we are so excited to do kind of a deep dive about everything that you're doing with the SGA and the Capstone Wellness Explorer. So Sheena, I heard you.
[00:16:02] Speaker B: I'm like, as I'm like breathing with this anticipation of like, tell us more about this. So you know, I know I mentioned when we first introduced you, like, you know, that is quite the mouthful of a role. So please share with our listeners. What exactly does the vice President for Belonging and wellness do?
[00:16:22] Speaker D: Of course. So the vice president for belonging and wellness title or the role is exactly how the title sounds. It's a two part role focused on promoting programming that aligns with the Alabama model for student health and well being. Really taking a look at like holistic student wellness and how we as a student government can promote those ideals and encourage students to engage in programs across campus, but also really heavily focused on student belonging efforts. So making sure that every single student feels as though the student government association is an approachable space for them, but also making sure that they feel like they have access to the information, resources and programming on campus so that they feel as though they're being best heard and supported. It's a very unique role and it's really, really incredible because it encompasses a lot of student outreach directly. So most of what I do is reaching out to students, working with students to put on programming, to put on events to work on the capstone Wellness Explorer is one of my big responsibilities that falls under that. But also it's a unique role in that I do a lot with faculty as well. So whether it's being here doing something like this, getting to talk about what I do, working with Dr. Per as the Associate Vice President for Student well being on different programming efforts that he sees as a need in our student body, but also working with the Source to work on different programming that they're doing to make sure that we're promoting everything in the best way possible to also just promoting other events that are going around on campus. I think one of the biggest things that I've learned this year through my role is that I can do so much, but there's already so much going on on campus that whatever I can do to promote the other resources around is going to work for the betterment of students.
[00:18:00] Speaker B: Yeah. Now, with this vice president position, is this a newer role in SGA or is this something that has been long withstanding but maybe has just kind of been reimagined over the years? Kind of what do you know the history much about that position?
[00:18:17] Speaker D: Yes. So the Vice President for Belonging and Wellness role is new within our Student Government Association. So it was rolled out this past August. And so I'm sure, as both of you guys know, there was a bill that passed the Alabama State House Senate and then eventually signed into law by Governor K. Ivey that basically sought to defund DEI programming at public institutions. And so originally I was elected to serve as the SGA Vice President for Diversity, Equity and inclusion. But because SGA is a state funded entity, because we reside under the Department of Student Life, we actually fell out of compliance with the bill. And so if we didn't make changes to our executive council and to our SGA as a whole, we would not have been eligible for state funding anymore. That's critical to kind of the functions that we.
Over the summer we worked a lot with different student groups, different faculty administrators, with UA legal team to kind of formulate the best next steps forward to still make sure that we were clinging on to these things that make students feel fully supported, fully heard and fully seen and kind of their efforts and different experiences, while also kind of putting it into a larger context of like, okay, these efforts are what contribute to student well being. If a student feels like they belong, they that is good for their general well being.
So definitely a very unique year. But this is a new role and it's been a very interesting experience for me because I'VE had the opportunity to create the role. So, you know, all the mission statements, all the different programming that resided underneath it, I've gotten to have a pretty big hand in kind of making that come to life. But it's been incredible and I feel really lucky to have served in the time that I have, even if it's been relatively unknown as the process has gone on.
[00:19:57] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I mean, I think, I think your pride for the program and the work that you do is so evident in the way that you've articulated everything. So I just want to point that out that I can tell that you have like a true joy and passion and pride for what you do. And we always appreciate that, you know, in a world where we've also interacted with people like outside of this programming space that, you know, they get jaded after a while. That's again, one of the reasons why we do love interacting with our students on this show because you have such a vigor and vibrancy for what you're doing.
[00:20:32] Speaker D: So, I mean, it truly has been the highlight of my UA experience getting the opportunity to serve in this role, just because I think that I'm somebody that's very driven by the relational side of the role. And this year more than ever, I've gotten to interact with so many different students, whether it was having conversations over understanding exactly how this legislation was going to impact, getting student feedback, but then also kind of continuing those relationships. I always tell people that, like a lot of my friendships have just grown stronger kind of in the perseverance of going through everything. And I just feel really lucky to have been in the driver's seat when it all happened.
[00:21:06] Speaker C: Yeah, I love that.
So the Capstone Wellness Explorer.
[00:21:11] Speaker B: Tell us, what is that?
[00:21:13] Speaker D: Yes. So the Capstone Wellness Explorer is an engagement tracking program that seeks to promote student participation in events that fall under one or more of the seven dimensions of wellness as outlined by the Alabama Model for Student Health and well Being. So what this looks like in action is that it is a program that it allows for different student organizations and UA departments to put their events that they're already hosting onto a formalized pathway. And so they receive different points values based on, like how long students will be at the event, what kind of their expected contributions are. If you're just sitting and listening to an event that's probably going to be about a two point event. If you're just dropping into a tabling event, that would be a one point event. If you're going to a longer lecture series where you're expected to engage the entire time. That would be a three point event. And so basically how the program works is that we have two distinct paths paths, one for student organizations and then one for individual students. So the organizational path works with that points based system and so different students can go attend these events and allocate their points to their specific student organization. And all of those point totals are contributing to the block seating application process where student organizations get allocated certain sections of Bryant Denny Stadium to sit in during football season. It's an incredible incentive and a great way to get students engaging and connecting with things that they might not already be interested in or might not go out of their way to get involved with. The individual path was something that I created after being asked what, what the point was for students that weren't involved in student organizations.
And so this program works on instead of a point space system on a dimension based system. And so students are given a formalized path that we created with the source where they can go to events that bond or one of each of the seven different dimensions. And if they're able to complete that pathway during the duration of our program, then they receive a graduation accord at the end of the year kind signifying their commitment to contributing to their overall student well being. It's been a really incredible year. We kicked it off in October, I believe it was October 3rd was our kickoff date. And we'll close out April 5th. But to this day we've had immense success with the numbers. And so I think we've had over 70 events hosted through the Capstone Wellness Explorer, 2,400 students that have tapped in at the various things. Over 12 organizations that have exceeded 100 points that they've allocated to their student organization and events hosted by 25 different event hosts. And that was as of Christmas break. So those numbers have only grown since then.
[00:23:44] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:23:45] Speaker C: So I'd like for our listeners to know that, you know, Sheena and I sometimes have to have notes to help us remember the statistics and the numbers and the mottos and the creeds and that could be because of our age, I'm not sure. But I would like everybody to know that Aubrey is completely just pulling this from the Rolodex file that tells you how old we are. I'm talking about Rolodex. Do you know what a Rolodex is?
[00:24:13] Speaker D: I unfortunately do not.
[00:24:16] Speaker C: Just Google it later just to figure it later. I just had a, you know, just, I had an okay, boomer moment.
But she's just pulling this, I mean, like this is how dedicated you are. Like, you have this hook, line and sinker memorized. Like it's just embedded in you. And I love that.
[00:24:31] Speaker B: Yes. I mean, you know, I think just even when you talk about again, you all of the both of the pathways, you know what that looks like. And then also I really love the creation of something that is for individuals. So for those students that aren't necessarily tied into student orgs that are pursuing the block seeding system. So I think that that works as a really nice incentive with the cord. And I know you mentioned having a good response there and it'll be interesting to see how the spring progresses as different entities learn even more about this. I know. Actually I was in a meeting this morning educating some campus partners with a collaboration event and I was talking about how we needed to make sure that this event was going to be part of the Capstone Wellness Explorer. They're like, what is that? And I'm like, oh my gosh, how can you say what is that? But let me tell you exactly what it is. So I tried to be a little ambassador for y'all today. Thank you.
[00:25:27] Speaker D: We appreciate it. We can't be successful without the buy in from different organizations and different departments. So we really appreciate it.
[00:25:33] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. No, I think, you know, again, you sharing your involvement with SGA and Capstone Wellness Explorer and your passions there, you know, hopefully getting our listeners excited about what this could look like for them. And so we do have to take a quick break, but when we get back, we're going to talk a little bit more about the benefits of being involved on campus and letting you kind of share your wisdom of, you know, how does one get started in something like this? But you guys, you will catch us after the break. You're listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and nika on Monday.7 Capstone.
[00:26:11] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
[00:26:21] Speaker C: Hey listeners, you are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:26:27] Speaker B: Yes. And if you are just now joining us, first you need to go back and start at the beginning. But as a recap, we have had the pleasure of having Ms. Aubrey Grishoff who is the SGA Vice President for belonging and wellness. And just before the break, Aubrey was talking about her involvement with SGA as well as the Capstone Wellness Explorer. And so, you know, Aubrey, we kind of want to switch gears a little bit and ask how is being involved in various areas of campus enhanced your own health and well being as a student?
[00:26:58] Speaker D: At ua, my on campus involvement has been truly the pinnacle of my experience at ua. Whenever I look back over the past two and a half years, years approaching three, which is crazy, the past two and a half years of my time at ua, whenever I look back on the high points, I think about the different things that I've been able to do on campus and the relationships that I've made as a result of it. Coming from out of state and from a place where we talked about previously, there aren't tons of people from my hometown that end up at Alabama. I felt like I came in not really knowing anybody, not really understanding the culture that existed at ua. And I was very intimidated by it. I think anybody that knew me well my freshman year and would tell you that I was a relatively timid person, I was a little bit intimidated by just the different things that were going on on campus. I didn't know what the next right steps were for me. And so through my on campus involvement and the relationships that I've made as a result of those, I have truly flourished in my confidence, in my ability to feel as though I can affect change on campus as well.
And I just feel really, really lucky for all the doors that have opened for me. Um, and I feel very, very confidently that without my campus involvement, I would not be doing, I guess, as well as I have been currently for. For lack of better words. But it's been an incredible experience because I think that you develop relationships with people through involvements that care about the same things that you do, that are constantly pushing you to be the best version of yourself. But also people that come to get to know you well enough that they can tell whenever you're not doing well and are able to speak up and like, ask you and like, kind of facilitate that dialogue whenever maybe you don't even prepare to facilitate that dialogue yourself.
And it's been so pivotal for my experience at ua, and I just feel really grateful for it all.
[00:28:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, and you know, and we know that with the Alabama model for health and well being, one of the dimensions is social wellness. And so. So I think again, like, building those communities and having that support and getting to know people at a level where they know what is the norm for you and what's not the norm when you're doing well is, you know, is definitely a game changer in somebody's campus experience. I appreciate you sharing your own experience with that.
[00:29:15] Speaker C: Yeah.
So what advice? You've got a new student coming. Let's say they're coming from your High school.
And they, you know, they may or may not want to do the Greek life.
You know, they may not have the money or the desire, you know, so they're kind of thinking, well, am I going to fit in on campus? How do I fit in in? What advice would you give them first on all your experiences?
[00:29:42] Speaker D: Yeah, of course. I think first I would just give them a resounding yes to will I fit in? I think that this campus is incredibly unique compared to other universities that I have friends at where there is truly something for Everybody. There are 700 different student organizations here on campus, and very few of those are affiliated with the Greek system. While Greek system has been incredible and has served as a really great platform for me to make friends, it's not critical to having a good experience at ua. And especially, especially as I've gotten older, the more true that that brings to be to me the biggest piece of advice that I could give to any student, and I even tell younger girls that I interact with regularly, is that if you do what you're passionate about on campus, you will be fulfilled. I think sometimes at a university as big as this, it's really easy to get caught up in the things that are flashy, the things that are. That people perceive to be important.
[00:30:36] Speaker C: That's on social media that highlights. Exactly.
[00:30:39] Speaker D: And people forget to look at the things that they truly care and understand that you're only going to find fulfillment if you're doing the things that you love. Whenever I got here on campus, the very first thing that I did was get involved with Crossing Points because it was something that I loved. And because of my experience with Crossing Points, I started a role in SGA as the Director of Disability Affairs. And then from there on, I was able to serve as the vice president for Diversity, Equity Inclusion, which gave way to the vice president for Belonging and Wellness, which in turn has opened so many doors for me. But knowing that I was able to kind of traverse that path from a place of here, like I'm doing something that I love and something that I care about, it's been an incredibly natural process for me, and it's just been a really, really big honor that it feels like all I have to do is what I love. And here I am today. I tell people often that one of the biggest experiences that I've had at ua, or I guess one of the pinnacles of my experience has been the idea of growth. You know, you come in as a freshman and you don't. You don't know what you want to get involved in a lot of the time, you might have kind of these guiding principles or these specific things that are important to you, but you have to give yourself the time and space to grow where you're planted. And so it's been really cool for me even seeing how over the last year, I feel like I really have kind of bloomed into the person that I was supposed to be, for lack of better terms.
[00:31:59] Speaker B: So, yeah, you know, I think, you know, when you talk about getting involved in what you're. What you're passionate about, I'm actually curious, in regards to your involvement with sga, were you involved with any kind of student government at the high school level, like, whether it be, like a student council or student government association? And was SGA something that you got involved in pretty quickly as a freshman at ua or what was that journey like for you?
[00:32:26] Speaker D: Yes. This is a really interesting question because it's kind of a yes. And so whenever I was in high school, we had a super big student council program. It was a big deal on campus, relatively speaking, but it was also very, very different than, like, a student government association. At ua. It was very much tailored to high school students. It was mostly adults that were doing the work, and we were kind of there as kind of sounding boards. It was an incredible experience for me, but definitely didn't drive, really, of my on campus decisions once I got to ua. I also think coming into ua, I was again, really scared of kind of what was to come. And I kind of had this perception that SGA at UA was this very, like, girl boss. Like, it was only for people that, like, wanted to go into politics. And so I actually didn't apply for anything in SGA my freshman year. And I really didn't have all that much interest in pursuing something in sga, mostly out of intimidation, more so than, oh, I think that I would like this. And so my experience with SGA was prompted by a friend who actually reached out to me and was like, hey, like, I was applying for this cabinet position. I saw that there was a position specifically for somebody that did disability affairs. I mean, at the time, I was preparing for an internship in D.C. with the National Down Syndrome Society. And so she was familiar that that was kind of coming ahead for me. And she was like, I think that this would be a really good fit for you. And so. So I kind of applied on a whim. I don't think that I told anybody that I applied because I was like, you know, might or might not work out. I don't feel super, super invested in this. And then whenever I found out that I had gotten the position, it's all kind of history from there, and it's been incredible. But it's also one of my favorite stories to tell people, because I think with student government specifically, people get disheartened after their freshman year and kind of think that that door's closed. But something that I found is that a door is never closed, especially not on a campus this big.
[00:34:13] Speaker C: Right. I love that. I had a sign that used to hang in my office that said, start with yes.
[00:34:18] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:34:19] Speaker C: And so, you know, students, what does that mean? And, you know, just say yes to new opportunities, because you never know if that's the golden ticket that unlocks your passions and everything. So I love that. I love that your friend asked you and you said yes. Yes. Okay.
[00:34:37] Speaker D: Yes. And it's so good to get yourself out of your comfort zone as a freshman, because there's so much that's already uncomfortable that I think a lot of students just are like, okay, I'm as uncomfortable as it is. I don't need to put myself into that next awkward position. But it really is when you're out of your comfort zone where you grow. And I don't. I love my comfort zone. So, like, coming from me, that's a lot. But my experiences on campus have proven time and time again that you can't be comfortable if you want to grow.
[00:35:01] Speaker B: Yeah, Well, I know. Again, you know, we'll. We're about to close out this segment, but, you know, for any listeners who, you know, have been enjoying the show today, and they're like, man, I would really like to consider SGA as part of my involvement experience. How would you tell them to get involved? And would there be a difference in what you would say if they. If they were in spring semester of their freshman year versus their junior year or whatever else.
[00:35:27] Speaker D: Yes. So sga different. We have a ton of different organizations that all. Are different programs that reside underneath the Student Government association, and all of those have different deadlines for applications. So throughout the entire year, we have our committee programs. It's always open for application. That's a rolling application. Um, it's kind of assured admission type of vibe where any student that applies has the opportunity to get plugged in in some capacity. Um, then in the spring is really, like, our heavy, heavy application season. So we have our actual, like, formal, like, election process that's coming up. I believe that those interest sessions for candidates are this week. Um, so unfortunately, by the time that this comes out, That'll be a little bit past us. But then after our next executive council is selected by a school wide election, then we'll open up the cabinet program. And so cabinets work directly under the different vice presidents. That's how I got started in my time in SGA and it was incredible. So that's the executive branch, the legislative branch participates in the full voting wide. And then actually our judicial branch applications are open right now and they'll be open until the middle of February. And then even throughout the next fall we'll have lobby board applications open. First year council applications will open for those first year students.
There's honestly an endless stream of opportunities. You just kind of have to stay plugged in with what's going on. So I highly encourage any student that's interested in being involved in SGA to keep in touch with our website or also follow us on Instagram @UASGA because that's where all of the most up to date information will be found.
[00:36:57] Speaker B: Fantastic. Well you, thank you for just sharing that wealth of knowledge, you know, not only from your experience but then also just kind of sharing the different avenues students can get and involved. But we gotta take a break. Yeah. You know, and Aubrey, you've been so fabulous. We want to keep you on for our closing segment. So hopefully you're okay with that.
[00:37:14] Speaker D: Lovely.
[00:37:15] Speaker B: But you guys, you are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika. And we will catch you one more.
[00:37:19] Speaker C: Time after this break.
[00:37:25] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:37:34] Speaker C: Happy Sunday listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka. And thanks for hanging out with us this hour. If you've missed any of the segments before, we highly encourage you to go back because we had an Amazing guest today, Ms. Aubrey Grisseff. Griff. Griff.
[00:37:50] Speaker D: Griff.
[00:37:51] Speaker C: You've only taught us a hundred times but she has just brought such energy and just passion and so much information that I just, we, we tell you go back and listen to the beginning and listen to it and send it to some friends that you know, especially friends that are interested in getting involved on UAE's campus.
[00:38:16] Speaker B: Absolutely. And I, you know, if you, if, if you've been listening for any length of time to our show, you know that usually in our closing segment we go kind of rogue. We ask our guests, you know, something that's a little off topic, nothing too crazy but just, you know, usually it's a very random question and I'm usually pull kind of weird out of my back pocket. But Nika, I Want to bestow that honor to you today.
[00:38:41] Speaker C: So kind. And I don't know if mine is as rogue or as interesting. I would need a little bit more time to think about it, but kind of going, I guess in the, in the same neighborhood that we've been in today, taking away, getting involved on campus and all that good stuff that we've talked about. Think of something we haven't mentioned today. What would be the one piece of advice you would go back and give your senior year of high school self before starting college?
[00:39:13] Speaker D: Ooh, that is a fantastic question. I think off the bat, the biggest piece of advice that I would give to myself as a senior in high school, I have two. One would be just to give it time. Like every good thing takes time. And I think as a senior in high school you want to know everything immediately. And it feels like whenever you're walking into so much known that everything's always going to be unknown. But also it's okay for things to be unknown because there's so much good that can happen in that space of not knowing what's next. The second piece of advice that I would give to younger senior year stressed out Aubry would be that it's a good thing to be comfortable with yourself. That's like a big lesson that like I've learned over the past three years of my life that like spending time alone is good for you.
It's been incredible for me to learn how to just be comfortable with my own thoughts, be comfortable understanding how to like neutralize the thoughts that I think about myself. Not thinking about myself is like really, really incredible. But also not down like degrading myself and telling myself that I'm not doing enough, not good enough. But learning how to think about myself in very like practical terms, like, okay, this is something that I do and I do it because I do it and that's okay. It's been pivotal for me learning to not kind of go up and down on the roller coaster of different emotions that you experience while you're a college student or as a senior in high school whenever you're thinking about all the things that are next. So I highly, highly recommend for incoming students or students that are here on this campus to spend some time alone and allow yourself to get to know yourself better than other people know you. Because at the end of the day, like you're the person that knows yourself best. But also just give things time because everything takes time. Every good thing takes time.
[00:40:59] Speaker C: Are we sure she is a 20 something college student? She is like an old soul. She's like, you know, like. Like my grandfather would be giving a stage advice.
[00:41:11] Speaker B: Yeah, because. Because I was just gonna say, so, Nico, what would you tell your high school senior, high school self?
[00:41:17] Speaker C: Don't be so worried about being intimidated about what other people think of you. Because most people are not thinking about you. They're thinking about themselves and their own issues.
So you're not getting judged as much as you think you are. And if you are, are, who cares? Yes, but that takes, like you said, time to sit with and get used to. So I'm not sure if I would have even listened to myself in high school if I had told myself that.
[00:41:42] Speaker B: No, I totally get that.
[00:41:44] Speaker C: What about you, Ms. Sheena?
[00:41:46] Speaker B: So I'm gonna go superficial. Because, you know, why not? I would just. I would probably tell my younger self that, like, the boys you meet in college, they do not have to be your husband. Like, if they are off putting now, like, red flags.
[00:42:01] Speaker C: Red flags. Learn to guys and girls.
[00:42:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:42:04] Speaker C: Learn the red flags.
[00:42:05] Speaker B: There's going to be a social life after college where that could also be where you meet your potential spouse.
[00:42:11] Speaker D: Like, it's not.
[00:42:11] Speaker C: So you don't have this time again, is what you're saying. It's like, get it done in four. It's never happening.
[00:42:16] Speaker B: Yes, yes, yes.
[00:42:17] Speaker C: I love that, though, because that is part of health. There are people who really, you know, maybe culturally or other people that they know that they meet their college sweetheart. And a lot of people do worry that if you, you know, don't have a ring by spring.
[00:42:33] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:42:34] Speaker C: Never happening.
[00:42:35] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, if you had this personal timeline for yourself, like, it's gonna be okay. It's all right. So that's just good things take time and get to know yourself.
[00:42:42] Speaker C: So you know how to say that's a red flag. I am not willing to allow to.
[00:42:47] Speaker D: Exactly fly in the wind.
[00:42:49] Speaker B: Absolutely. Well, I think that we have had fabulous conversation today, Aubry. Again, thank you for being with us. We consider you a friend to the show and we're just so grateful. I think you've opened the door for us to continue to have SGA members as part of the show. So thank you for being our first, actually. So this is wonderful. But you guys, we hope that you have a fabulous week, a fabulous 2025, a fabulous February. We will catch you next time on Fitzpatide with Sheena and Nico. That.
[00:43:22] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
