Fit2BTide S07.E09: The Advisory Council on Wellness

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa. Happy Sunday, y'all. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And Nika, I just have to acknowledge we're in a completely new space, and it's tripping me out. I don't know if it is for you. Like, it looks super official and fancy, but I literally have no idea what I'm doing. [00:00:26] Speaker B: So this is our third space in just a couple of months, but I think this is our permanent home. Right? [00:00:31] Speaker A: I think it is. Now, I did selfishly, like, recording in my office, just get up from my desk and then move to that tiny table. But this is really fancy. [00:00:41] Speaker B: This is fancy. For those of you listening in the car or at home, we, you know, like, legitimately have our own microphones, which is. It's been a minute since we've had those. [00:00:52] Speaker A: I know. I feel like. Did you ever watch on Saturday Night Live? There was a skit. It was an older skit. I think it was called the Delicious Dish. [00:01:03] Speaker B: They had Alec Baldwin come be a. Yes. [00:01:05] Speaker A: So many different memories. I feel like there are so many things that I reference now that I'm so grateful that Frasier. [00:01:13] Speaker B: Yes, Frasier. They talked into the mics. [00:01:15] Speaker A: Yes. See? So you know, and I know with our guests, I love their vibrancy and their youth and coming from a different generation. But then I also know that they're probably like. I have no idea what you're. [00:01:26] Speaker B: Yeah, we're speaking, like, Mandarin to them. [00:01:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:01:28] Speaker B: I don't know what we're talking. Talking about, so. Yeah. Yeah, it's okay. [00:01:33] Speaker A: Yes. Totally okay. But we are in the middle of February now, which is so crazy, you know, thinking. And it's kind of silly to even be entertaining this right now. But I am curious, knowing that spring break is literally next month. What are your spring break plans? [00:01:52] Speaker B: My oldest is going to get braces. [00:01:55] Speaker A: Okay. [00:01:55] Speaker B: So that's gonna be fun. Not so fun. I mean, I remember when I got braces, and it was a. A little of an adjustment period, so I don't know how that's gonna go. [00:02:05] Speaker A: How. How old were you when you got braces? [00:02:08] Speaker B: I wore them fourth through seventh grade. [00:02:10] Speaker A: Okay. [00:02:11] Speaker B: And then had them put back on when I was 25. [00:02:13] Speaker A: I bet you were, like, the coolest fourth through seventh grader. [00:02:19] Speaker B: I. I did not enjoy the braces the first time around. I didn't really enjoy them the second time around, but I paid for them the second time around, so I had to kind of enjoy them. I guess a little bit more. Just had to get what you paid. [00:02:29] Speaker A: For the second time around. How long did you have to wear them? [00:02:32] Speaker B: Two years. [00:02:32] Speaker A: That's not terrible. [00:02:34] Speaker B: And the second time I got them wasn't for cosmetic. It was because, like, my jaw had grown a little bit between, like, seventh grade and being 25, and it kind of got my bite off. And they were like, you have two options. We can either break your jaw and rewire it, like, set it back straight and rewire it, or we can do braces. And I said, how about those braces? [00:02:52] Speaker A: Oh, my Lanta. [00:02:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:02:54] Speaker A: Okay. Because that's not like one of those, like, Invisalign. [00:02:56] Speaker B: No, no, ma'am. That was a full metal mouth. They were like, we can't even do plastic or, like, the clear ones because they're like your bite so strong that you'll just be in here every day saying, hey, I popped a bracket off. So I was a full metal mouth at 25, working a corporate job. It was fantastic. [00:03:13] Speaker A: So I never got braces. And my mom definitely regrets that. Like, I don't think my teeth are too jacked up. [00:03:21] Speaker B: Oh, your teeth are beautiful. [00:03:22] Speaker A: Thank you. My little brother did definitely have to get braces, so I do feel bad for him. My husband definitely had the headgear action and all that stuff. Did not know him during that period of his life. But I hear that it was not that. That fun. So I just, you know, I wish that I could speak more to the braces game, but I just can't. [00:03:41] Speaker B: I mean, you. You can always go back as an adult. I'm sure they'll be happy to put them on you for whatever reason. Not that you need them, but, you know, I'm sure they could let you at least, you know, try them out for a month or two just for funsies, for the right price. [00:03:53] Speaker A: Now, did you. Did you personal, quote, unquote, personalize yours with, like, the different colored rubber bands and all? [00:04:00] Speaker B: I did the first time around. Second time around, I was just like, please hide these. You know? But, yeah, the first time around I did. Every time I would go, it had to match, you know, whatever season it was. Like, if it was February, I had to have pink and red, you know, if it was, you know, fourth of July, I had to have the red, white, and blue. Yeah. [00:04:20] Speaker A: Okay, well, I. Let me. If you are listening and you're like. [00:04:24] Speaker B: Oh, my God, are we talking about orthodontia today? [00:04:27] Speaker A: What kind of guests are we having? So I'll go ahead and cut the. The braces Party short and let our listeners know when we come back. We are once again having some wonderful UA students as as part of our guest lineup today. You know, we really started this semester strong with all of our different student guests, and today's show is no exception. [00:04:50] Speaker B: I know, and I happen to know one of them personally, as he is one of our students, one of our top students. So I'm excited. [00:04:57] Speaker A: Well, with that teaser, we have to take a break. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capst. WVUAFM Tuscaloosa. [00:05:17] Speaker B: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the Capstone. [00:05:23] Speaker A: That's right. And if you are just now joining us, that's actually probably a good thing because we went on this whole rabbit hole of my fault talking about braces in our first segment. But I'm very excited to share that once again, we have two fabulous UA students who are joining us on the show today. And today's topic is focused all on the Advisory Council on Wellness. And so for that conversation Today, we have Mr. Wes Bryant and Ms. Gracie Sunday, who are chair and vice chair of the council. So welcome, you guys. [00:05:55] Speaker C: Welcome. Thank you for having us. [00:05:56] Speaker D: Yes, thank you. [00:05:57] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely. And now, you know what we always love to do in this first segment with our guests is really get to hear from y'all, like, why did you choose ua? Like, you know, what's your major? All that good stuff. So, Gracie, will you kick us off and tell us a little bit about yourself? [00:06:12] Speaker D: Yeah, of course. So I'm Gracie. I am a senior from Papillion, Nebraska, majoring in biology. And I am on the pre med track, starting med school in the fall. And I really chose UA because I went my whole life thinking that I was gonna go to Nebraska like most of the people that I knew. But I always kind of longed to do something different. And when a great scholarship opportunity presented itself, I took advantage of that. And then I was also really drawn to the McColla program here at UA. I didn't really see anything like it in any of the other schools that I looked at, and I'm really glad that I came for that dude scholarships. [00:06:54] Speaker B: And if our listeners listened to our episode last week, those two students were part of the McCullough. [00:07:01] Speaker A: Yes. [00:07:01] Speaker B: Yeah. Yes. As well. [00:07:03] Speaker A: So absolutely no. And. And then, Wes, I believe you are also part of that, too. Yes, Yes. [00:07:09] Speaker C: I am also in the McCullough Scholars Program. [00:07:11] Speaker A: Tell us about yourself. [00:07:12] Speaker C: Yeah, so my name is Wesley Bryant. I grew up in Cumming, Georgia. But then my freshman year of college, my family actually moved to Birmingham. So they're really close now, which I love having them there. And then my dad went to UA for his undergraduate degree, and so I grew up coming to campus with him all the time for baseball, basketball, football games. So kind of throughout my childhood, UA already felt like a second home. And so that was kind of what solidified my decision to come here was I was already really familiar with it, and then great programs like McCullough, Randall really kind of drew me in. [00:07:43] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, I. Okay, I. Nika, I don't know if we explicitly talked about this in our last episode or if we even asked our guests this, but because we once again have some McCullough scholars on the show today. Can y'all tell us a little bit about what that exactly entails or what that program is? [00:08:04] Speaker D: Yeah, I always like to think about McCullough or describe McCullough as all of the stuff that they should teach you as a pre med student, but it's not necessarily required. So when people think of pre med, they think of the hard sciences, like the biology and the chemistry. But in McCollo, you learn a lot more about medical philosophy, ethics, and you just kind of learn more about the human side of medicine. That's really, really important, but isn't discussed quite as frequently at the undergraduate level. [00:08:30] Speaker A: I love the way that you describe that. And, you know, I think Nika and I could both say from personal experience with our roles in clinical spaces and that that is so foundational. You know, I think it's. It's one thing to have someone who has that hard knowledge, but if they don't have the bedside manner and the Hume just, I guess just those human skills, they're not going to be an effective clinician. So I really love the way that you describe that. [00:08:57] Speaker B: I do, too. [00:08:59] Speaker A: So, Nika, do you have a question? [00:09:01] Speaker B: Well, I was just going to say about how many people are. Is it a cohort? Do they take, you know, cohort every year? So how many are in your cohort? [00:09:10] Speaker C: Usually it's about 30 to 35, I would say. So we're the third cohort overall. [00:09:18] Speaker A: Okay. [00:09:18] Speaker B: So relatively neat. [00:09:19] Speaker C: Yeah, it is relatively new. [00:09:21] Speaker D: Very cool. [00:09:22] Speaker B: And you like it, though? I mean, I'm not, you know, if you didn't, I wouldn't expect you to say no. But, I mean, what is it that you like the most about it other than, you know, kind of having that cohort to get to go and experience, you know, with others that are. Have the same kind of life mission as you. But what's some of the, the best things that you take away from it? [00:09:42] Speaker C: I feel like I personally love the coursework. And so freshman year we have two discussion based courses. And so that was really the first time I'd ever had anything like that where I got to sit at a round table in a class and you don't go in and take tests, you actually go in and just get to talk to people about medical ethics, medical philosophy, what does it mean to be involved in palliative care things. Those were just topics that I didn't think I would get access to as a pre med. And so to actually have a space where I knew every week I just get to go in there and discuss these really interesting topics. I loved that, especially as a freshman in college. [00:10:16] Speaker B: Yeah, gotta take a peek behind the curtain, so to speak. [00:10:19] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah. I really enjoyed the community aspect of it. Freshman year you all live in a living, learning community together, so you get to know your cohort really well. But especially in the pre med sphere, it can tend to be pretty cutthroat and competitive at times. But in McColla I've just found really great supportive community of people genuinely interested in the success of their peers and lifting each other up and kind of striving toward this goal together. [00:10:49] Speaker A: You know, I think one of the things that I've noticed in our episodes recently, especially this semester, and really any time that we've had student guests is just that that theme of the importance of community in college, whether that be at the undergraduate level or the graduate level. So the fact that you guys have through the McCullough program is really wonderful. And you know, I know that while we have talked about that, that's not our main reason for inviting you on the show today. We actually want to talk to you all about your involvement with the Advisory Council on Wellness. So I'd love to hear from both of you on how long you've been part of the council and how did you first hear about it and the opportunity and the decision to apply. [00:11:33] Speaker C: So this is my third year on the council. I started at the beginning of my sophomore year. And Mary Margaret Drew, she was the council chair last year. I actually heard about it from her and so saw that she kind of put this blur bound about applying, asked her, hey, what is this? How do I get involved? That kind of thing. And then applied at the end of my freshman year and started at the beginning of my sophomore Year. So this is my third year being involved with the council. [00:11:56] Speaker B: Shout out to Mary Margaret. She was a student of mine. Love Mary Margaret. Well, you know, it's because I'm in public health, you know, so I get to know so that I get to have a little bit of like a front row seat to our future healthcare professionals. [00:12:13] Speaker A: You really do. [00:12:13] Speaker B: And it's exciting. [00:12:14] Speaker A: I'm jealous. I'm gonna live vicariously through you. [00:12:17] Speaker B: Come on over, girl. [00:12:19] Speaker A: And then Gracie, how about for you? [00:12:21] Speaker D: Yeah, mine was kind of similar. So this is my second year on the council. And then Wes and I of course knew each other through the McCullough cohort. And so I heard about his awesome experiences on the council his first year of doing it. He just raved about what a great group it was, what great work they were doing and that led me to apply then my sophomore year and now here I am in my second year and I've loved it. [00:12:45] Speaker A: And the rest is history. [00:12:46] Speaker B: The rest is history. So can you explain to our listeners what is the Advisory Council on Wellness like? If you had an elevator pitch to give, how would you explain it? [00:12:55] Speaker D: Yeah, the Advisory Council on Wellness addresses student well being needs, I would say, kind of at a higher level. So we work directly with Dr. Perez, the Associate vice president for student health and wellness on campus. And so it's kind of nice that we do have those groups like Project Health who are working directly with students, but we kind of serve as a liaison group, communicating the needs from students to that upper administration. [00:13:23] Speaker A: Nice. And I know that is it, I believe, is it each year that you guys focus on a specific topic that you research and do a lot of, I guess some small groups. So tell us a little bit about that process. [00:13:38] Speaker C: Yeah, so kind of the biggest output for each academic year is the white paper. And so really in the fall semester, what we do at the beginning is try to zero in on what topic do we think is really pertinent to students, but is not necessarily addressed as much as it could be on campus. And then from there we kind of go into this three part process where we look at focus group first, where we have students come ask some questions related to that topic, kind of get a feel for what is the environment like overall on campus. And then we transition to the research aspect where we look at what are other colleges and universities doing within this sphere and then what is UA currently doing and potentially what could they do more of, and then kind of hand it over to the writing team who actually works to produce the white paper and Then throughout the spring semester, we all edit that, contribute to that as a council, and then present our findings, both Dr. Perez and to other UA administrators. [00:14:29] Speaker A: Man, I feel like, you know, as you're describing that I hear the multifaceted, you know, levels of the involvement that each of the council members have, and unfortunately, we've got to take a break. But the good news is we are going to continue this conversation. You guys. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7. [00:14:48] Speaker B: The Capstone. [00:14:53] Speaker A: WVUAF Tuscaloosa. [00:15:03] Speaker B: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the capstone. [00:15:08] Speaker A: Yes. And if you are just now joining us, you have come at a great time. We also challenge you to rewind back to earlier parts of this show as we introduce Mr. Wes Bryant and Ms. Gracie Sunday, who are both part of the leadership for the Advisory Council on Wellness here at the University of Alabama. And just before the break, Wes was telling us about their process for writing their white papers, the different roles that are involved. And Wes, you know, you were mentioning a lot of the research and the writing. So my assumption is that everybody's kind of broken up into different tasks with this project. Do students get to kind of opt in at the beginning in terms of, like, what their strengths or interests are with those roles? [00:15:51] Speaker C: Yeah. So one of the things we do in the fall semester is we split up into those three teams. Then each team is led by someone specifically on the. So there's a head of focus groups, head of research, and a head of writing. And sort of when we bring people in, we try to think about who would contribute best to each one of those areas. And then there's actually a form that people fill out where they kind of rank choice which ones they're most interested in. So they do have a say in where they want to be overall. And then we kind of divide everybody up based on their strengths and what they're really interested in doing. [00:16:21] Speaker A: Nice. Now for the two of y'all, where have y'all typically served during your time on the council? [00:16:28] Speaker D: Yeah, I have been on the focus groups team both years, and I really enjoy that because I am. I'm a very outgoing person. I love to talk with people, and I really love bringing different students from all walks of campus in and just hearing their different perspectives on the given white paper topic of that year. And, yeah, it's great to hear from lots of students. [00:16:49] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:16:49] Speaker C: So my first two years I was a part of the Writing team. I really enjoyed that because writing team kind of has a chance to tell the story of the council and the story of the white paper and synthesize all the information that focus groups and research have put together. And then this year I actually decided to transition a little bit and I was on the research team. So it was nice to get a little bit of a different perspective and kind of see what all it takes to comb through literature, comb through data to understand what are other colleges doing and then kind of where can UA sort of fill in the gaps that currently exist. [00:17:19] Speaker A: Nika, I'm looking at you. If we were on the council as students, where do you think you would fall? Are you a researcher? Do you like the focus groups? Do you like to write? What's kind of your style? [00:17:33] Speaker B: I like to write, but I think I would like the focus groups because I really like to hear people's stories. I like, I like to get that human behavior side of things. Just, you know, just talk to me. Tell me your story. [00:17:46] Speaker A: Yeah, I think I would be on the. I think I'd be on the focus group. [00:17:49] Speaker B: I think, I think we would. I think we would, I think we'd be like. Tell us more. [00:17:52] Speaker A: Yes. [00:17:53] Speaker B: Would you like to come on our radio show? [00:17:55] Speaker A: And now, Gracie, I know that you mentioned earlier the fact that the council is led by Dr. Todi Perez and one of the things that he brought to our campus that we really embrace, especially within the division of student life, is the Alabama model. Can you tell us a little bit about how the Alabama model drives the work of the Advisory Council on Wellness? [00:18:20] Speaker D: Yeah, the Alabama model is really fundamental to everything that we do on the Advisory Council. Every year to start off the year, we go over the different data that's been collected with the Alabama model from the previous year about different areas of students gauging their well being in any given area. And we kind of use that as we're deciding our topic for the year. And then also later on in the research and the writing process, we like to look at how each different dimension of the Alabama model can affect or be affected by the white paper topic. And we really just like to look at the whole holistic well being element that the model represents. [00:19:05] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And for our listeners who are not familiar with the Alabama model, the dimensions that are represented there are academic, career, financial, psychological, physical, spiritual and social. I'm really, I'm actually, I'm proud of you. Normally I'm using my fingers to like make sure I've gotten them all, but I'm Like, I have seen that graphic so many times. Times. And because our work in health promotion is really driven by the Alabama model as well, it would be bad, actually if I was not familiar with it. [00:19:38] Speaker B: Hey, you did great with that. So before we tell our listeners what the white paper topic is this year, can you give some ideas of what they focused on in years past? Y'all, like last year? [00:19:54] Speaker D: Sure. Yeah. Last year, we looked at student basic needs, predominantly food and housing needs. And then we also focused on the financial wellness and how that impacts all of those. [00:20:09] Speaker C: And then the year before that, we kind of went really broad and looked at addiction. And so we kind of looked at that through a couple different lenses. We looked at substance abuse, substance use, things like that, but then also eating disorders, gambling, sexual addictions, those types of things as well. And then some of the other past topics have included mental health, kind of social isolation during the period following Covid, those topics as well. [00:20:33] Speaker A: Nice. [00:20:33] Speaker B: So, yeah, who wants to. Who wants to rock, paper, scissors over the big reveal? What's this year's topic? [00:20:39] Speaker D: Wes, you got it. You're the chair. [00:20:41] Speaker A: Okay. [00:20:42] Speaker C: So sweet of you. So this year's topic is body image. So kind of taking it from a little bit of the addiction paper, where we look specifically at eating disorders, but then kind of zooming out our focus a little bit and looking at body image as a whole on campus and sort of, how does the culture of body image @ua affect students? What do they perceive body image as? All those sorts of things. [00:21:06] Speaker B: So, Sheena, I am looking at your face lighting up. This is your bread and butter. I love to use that intentional pun because you're a dietitian. This is your bread and butter. So tell, have you had work hand in this? [00:21:23] Speaker A: Yes. So I know that some of the advisory council members did reach out just in that initial research process, really trying to contact different key stakeholders. And so I was exciting to get to be part of that process just to kind of share what. What we do currently offer and what the opportunities are for, you know, really enhancing. Enhancing programming related to this topic. Because I think one of the things that I really appreciated from your team was kind of this question of, you know, essentially, like, if money were not an option, what would you want to bring to campus to really enhance this? So. So we appreciate you guys sharing what this year's topic is, and I want to, you know, kind of on the same, but really just putting on your hats as fellow college students, in your opinion, and your experiences with your friends and just any anecdotal situations, what do you feel like is probably one of the biggest, like health topics or health issues for college students in general? [00:22:25] Speaker C: I think something that's huge, that doesn't necessarily get talked about enough or that people don't prioritize is sleep. And so I remember when I went to the counseling center for the very first time, that was one of the first questions they asked me was how much are you sleeping each night? Do you have a sleep routine, sleep habits, those sorts of things. And I think there's kind of this almost culture among college students. Like you're young, you don't need to sleep, it's not important. You can stay out late, like it's fine. But I think that as someone who has operated on little sleep during an MCAT studying period, it doesn't work that well. And so I think sleep is a topic that's really important that doesn't necessarily get addressed or talked. Talked about enough. [00:23:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd agree. [00:23:04] Speaker A: Gracie, how about for you? [00:23:06] Speaker D: Yeah, I would say kind of along that same vein, just striking that work life balance, especially in our sphere, we're both pre med students, so taking all the difficult courses, trying to balance volunteering and leadership and all the activities and all the classes and everything. And it has been difficult at times to find things, find time to do like sleep or to do things that we enjoy. And I think that would probably resonate with a lot of other students in different areas as well. [00:23:35] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. No, and you know, we appreciate you guys, you know, sharing what your, you know, what you feel like is one of the bigger health topics that we don't always get to focus on. And Nika, I think it was just last week I was telling you that sleep is something that I've been really geeking out about lately. So I'm glad we're all same wavelength with that. [00:23:54] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean we gotta have sleep. I mean we know that just like we tell people you need to have water and you need to have food. But I'm loving that it is getting kind of down in the younger generations so they can start those habits earlier instead of being like, well, you know, I'm in my 40s and 50s now. I guess I need to get a sleep routine. Like they're learning it out the gate. I love it. [00:24:17] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely. Because you know, Wes, you did make a really great point that like, I think for yalls age it's just this thought of like, oh, sleep is, you know, that's the one thing that can be sacrificed, you know, during those busy weeks but we all know sleep is essential. Now, I know we're coming up on a break, but before we take that quick break, I'm kind kind of curious for each of you, what's been your biggest memory or most favorite memory so far from being on the council? [00:24:44] Speaker C: I think one of my favorite memories was we got to go present at APhA, which is the American Public Health association conference. I went in fall of 2023 with two past members, Cameron Class and Olivia Kahn, and we went and presented our findings from our addiction white paper. So it was really cool to kind of take what felt like is just something that we do on campus and then present it to this national audience and have a lot of people interested in not only our findings, but also could this potentially be applied on their campuses as well? [00:25:14] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:15] Speaker B: Yeah, replicate it. [00:25:16] Speaker A: Love it, Gracie. [00:25:19] Speaker D: I really loved last year getting to present our white paper to Dr. Hood again. Last year was my first year on the council, so I kind of saw for the first time the white paper from beginning to end. For from very bare bones. At the beginning, there was a little bit of discourse about which topic would be best, but then see that blossom into a really, really great white paper that we were really proud to present to Dr. Hood. That was very rewarding. [00:25:44] Speaker A: No, those are huge. I could definitely see those being, like, huge memory takeaways for y'all. Just the opportunity to present, whether it's at a conference or to senior administration like Dr. Hood. Thank y'all for sharing those things. And, you know, for our listeners who are thinking, oh, my goodness, I really want to be part of this, like, how do I do this? You know, the great news is that you guys are currently in the application process right now, which we will talk about after the break. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the Capstone. WVUAFM Tuscaloosa. [00:26:30] Speaker B: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to fit to be tied with sheena and nika on 90.7, the capstone. And if you're just joining us, we have two awesome guests today, Wes Bryant and Gracie Sunday, who are on the advisory Council on Wellness at the University of Alabama. So our question for you guys, for our listeners who are out there thinking, how can I get involved with the. The council? And. But wait a minute. I am not pre health. I don't want to go into health care. I don't want to go into anything like that. So. But I have an interest in it. Am I ruled out? What would you say? [00:27:06] Speaker C: I would say no, not at all. You're kind of exactly the person that we're looking for in order to diversify the council overall. I think that kind of an important thing within the application season that we like to emphasize is you don't have to be pre health, pre med, anything like that. You just have to have an interest, like you said, in student health and well being. And as long as you've got that, then I think you'd be a great addition to the council. It doesn't matter what kind of major or background or area of study that you're looking. Looking at. [00:27:32] Speaker A: Nice. [00:27:32] Speaker B: I hope that just excited some listeners out there. [00:27:35] Speaker A: I know. Because, you know, you know, we're talking to two students who, you know, mentioned that they are pre med. And you know, I'd hate for our listeners to think like, oh my gosh, I'm not about to be a doctor. Like, am I, you know, am I qualified for this? And so before the break, we were mentioning the fact that the application process is now live right now. Can y'all tell us a little bit about what that entails? Where can students find the application? [00:28:00] Speaker D: Yeah. So our applications are live right now. It's pretty simple. You really just have to submit the activities and your involvement on campus. And then one short essay question. That application can be found linked in our Instagram bio. And that's open until the 18th, I believe. [00:28:23] Speaker C: 23Rd. [00:28:24] Speaker D: The 23rd. Sunday the 23rd. [00:28:28] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, so aside from is there any in person interview process that happens after that application? [00:28:38] Speaker D: Yes. So we will go through and review those initial applications that we receive and then from there we'll pull some people from interviews, notify them of those, and then the week before spring break, we will host in person interviews. And those are going to be a group style interview. So we want it to be. Be as relaxed as possible, as relaxed as an interview can be, and be conversational and just kind of get to know people a little bit better. [00:29:08] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. [00:29:09] Speaker B: I love that. So you've told us some of the benefits about being involved in an organization from your point of view as pre med. So if I have a student out there that's like, I mean, health is kind of my passion, but I don't want to work in the field. What would be some benefits that they would get from being in this organization? Like, you've gotten some presenting skills and you've got, you know, a lot of things that you'll take on that you need in your next step out of here. But for someone who's not wanting to go into healthcare. What are some of the benefits of being part of the council? [00:29:41] Speaker D: There are a lot. You definitely learn that teamwork element. As we said, we split up into three separate groups. Everyone kind of does work separately, but it contributes to the greater overall project of the white paper. So I found that to be really beneficial. And then as we said, our council is very diverse. We've got people who are pre law, we have an engineering major, an economics major. So we're really looking for anybody. If you're passionate about student health and well being, we want you. Please apply. [00:30:13] Speaker B: Yeah, so that networking, definitely teamwork. And then like you said, you're the social aspect of it. You find your like minded friends on campus. [00:30:25] Speaker A: Yeah, I feel like that buzzword that we always talk about is the transferable skills. You know, we're always talking about those. And you know, thinking about your involvement with the council, the fact that you guys are in a McCullough cohort right now, can you each speak to, I guess, really what you found to be the benefit of just being involved on campus in general with like, with your own health and well being. I'm kind of going off the cuff from what we had originally planned to talk about. But just, you know, when you think about getting to be involved on campus in different capacities, how does that affect your own personal health and well being? [00:31:03] Speaker C: I think kind of like you'd mentioned, the social aspect has been a really great thing for me. And I think finding other people that are passionate about the same areas as me. So within McCullough, other people that want to go to medical school, other people that are also interested in more of that philosophical, ethical side of medicine, and then with the council, other people who are really passionate about not just student health and well being, but advocating for it as well. I think that's something that's been really beneficial to me is forming those connections and friendships that you just don't always get to make in a classroom setting where you're just kind of sitting at a desk. But then when you're actually able to discuss and talk with people about things like that. I think the friendships that I found through the council and through McCullough have been huge for me as a college student. [00:31:45] Speaker A: Nice. Gracie, how about for you? [00:31:47] Speaker D: Yeah, I would say I've also been exposed to a lot of different perspectives than I was previously familiar with, especially through focus groups and obviously working on two very different white papers. Maybe not all of them being issues that I've experienced personally, but it's definitely helped me Understand my fellow students a lot better just learning about. About different things that they've dealt with and gone through. And I think that'll be really meaningful moving forward. Also, as I, in my career as a physician, but as in any career, just dealing with people with different backgrounds and yeah, I would say it's definitely made me more career ready. [00:32:29] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Now, you know, one of the things that we had thought about asking you guys in this last segment was Wes and Gracie's quick tips for prioritizing your health as a college student. And, you know, now that I think about that, I'm like, what is a more practical way to ask that? And, you know, probably what I would say is just what would you tell an incoming freshman, like, as advice about, like giving, you know, about work, life balance as they kind of step into a busy routine at the University of Alabama? [00:33:01] Speaker D: I would say make time to do something that you love every day or, you know, at least at some point throughout the week. I know personally, my sophomore year, I got really bogged down with my coursework and with my activities, and I was just really overloaded and burnt out. And one thing that I love is running, and I didn't do that because I didn't think that I had time to do that. And I think that just exacerbated my stress because I didn't have that outlet. So then junior year, as I knew I was going to be going through a stressful time studying for the MCAT and everything, I prioritized my running and my. My mental health and overall wellbeing was just so much better for it. [00:33:40] Speaker A: Nice. I really love that. Wes, how about for you? [00:33:43] Speaker C: I think kind of one piece of advice that I try to give people is you can't do everything. I think that's something that I struggled with when I came in is there's so many great opportunities to get involved here, and that's an amazing thing, but you have to put a limit or a cap on it at some point. You can't do every single thing that you want to do. And so I think freshman year is kind of a great time to have this feeling out process where maybe you do kind of dip your toe in the water in a bunch of different ways, but then you figure out, okay, what do I love the most? And then stick with those things as you go throughout the rest of your college career, because I think that's something that I wish I had realized sooner. And then when you kind of let go of some of the things that you just don't have time for then you can really pour as much of yourself as you can into the things that you really do love. [00:34:29] Speaker A: Y'all have been giving the best answers. Oh, those are those, like, mic drop moments where I'm just like, that's a great way to end the segment. You know, Nika and I are so grateful to have both of you on the show today. I know we've got to end this segment, but will you stay with on for our last five minutes? [00:34:47] Speaker D: Of course. [00:34:47] Speaker C: Yeah, of course. [00:34:48] Speaker B: Perfect. [00:34:49] Speaker A: Well, we are going to take a quick break, you guys. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the Capstone. WVUAFM Tuscaloosa. [00:35:08] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, listeners. You're listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the Capstone. [00:35:14] Speaker A: That's right. And if you are just now joining us, you have got to go back and listen to the rest of the show. We have had the pleasure of talking to Mr. Wes Bryant and Ms. Gracie Sunday, who are both leaders on the advisory council for wellness. They have talked about their own experiences on the council as well as shared some details about how to apply because that application is open right now. And, you know, I think I was telling you all during the break that this is the point in the show where we tend to go rogue, kind of ask a question to our guests that may or may not have anything to do with our previous discussion. And so I am mentally prepared for the fact that y'all may not have an answer for this. I really hope you do. But if you had to pick the celebrity that plays you in a movie, TV show made for TV movie, whatever the case may be, who would you pick? And it doesn't even have to be someone that looks like. Like, who would you just kind of want to play you in general? [00:36:18] Speaker D: Well, mine's easy. I would say Taylor Swift. I love her. We definitely don't look alike, but I like to think that we have kind of similar personalities and that we're very outgoing and kind of goofy and kind of weird and dorky, but we own up to it. And. And I would be thrilled to have anything to do with Taylor Swift. And if she played me, I would probably get to meet her, too. So that would be an added bonus. [00:36:44] Speaker A: So true. So true. Okay, Wes or Nika do either. [00:36:49] Speaker B: Not like it. Do you have it yet, Wes? [00:36:52] Speaker C: Yeah, I would probably say John Krasinski. I'm a huge office fan, so I loved the Office in high school. Watched it too. Many times. And so I kind of think that he could kind of like portray me. We're both kind of laid back, or at least his character Jim in the office kind of laid back, that kind of thing. So. And also, like Gracie said, I'd also get to meet John Krasinski if he played me. So that'd be amazing. [00:37:18] Speaker A: Both picked very good. [00:37:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:37:20] Speaker A: Like, I can see that fit for both of y'all. [00:37:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:37:22] Speaker A: Easily. [00:37:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:37:23] Speaker A: Nika, how about for you? [00:37:25] Speaker B: I'll go on. What people usually tell me is Reese Witherspoon. [00:37:29] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah, I see that. [00:37:31] Speaker B: Because we're both country and just very animated and just like, you know what? Like, it's hard, you know, from La La Blonde. Like, you know, I quote it all the time. So Reese and I are kind of the same age in real life, so I kind of grew up loving me some Reese Witherspoon. [00:37:48] Speaker A: I think I'm going to change your name to Reese in my phone now. [00:37:51] Speaker B: Well, you know, my, my oldest middle name is Reese. Yeah. [00:37:55] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:37:56] Speaker B: So I like the name. Now tell me, Sheena, who is playing you? [00:38:01] Speaker A: I don't know. You know, I. So I, I get torn because, you know, I am. For listeners that don't know, I am a 5 foot 1 Filipino woman. So it's like, do I pick someone who, like, kind of looks like me? Do I just pick based on personality? In the past, I've usually said Mindy Kaling. [00:38:19] Speaker B: Yes. [00:38:20] Speaker A: Also been on the Office because I'm like, we're both kind of quirky. [00:38:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:38:24] Speaker A: Our humor. And then I feel like she could do me some justice there. And. But yeah, and then I just don't go beyond that. [00:38:31] Speaker B: You don't go beyond. I don't know. [00:38:33] Speaker A: One time I think I entertained Selena Gomez after seeing her in something and then I don't remember, but yeah, that's about it. But I mean, but I think Mindy would do me some justice. So with that said, well, let's hope. [00:38:46] Speaker B: That we all have, like, great, like, biopics and not Lifetime movies made after us. You know, I mean, let's put that out there. [00:38:53] Speaker A: Like, no, you make a. There's a different point that is like that. Yes. Thank you for making that point. So with that said, we are going to end today's show so we can all write the scripts for these movies that these celebrities are going to play about us. But again, Wes and Gracie, thank you so much for being on the show today. [00:39:10] Speaker B: Thank you, guys. [00:39:11] Speaker D: Yeah, thanks for having us. [00:39:12] Speaker C: This was awesome. [00:39:13] Speaker A: Absolutely. Until then, Roll Tide and you have been listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.