Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'.
[00:00:09] Speaker C: All.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: You are listening to Fit to Be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And, man, it is October. But I just don't know if Mother nature has decided yet what she wants the temps to be for this summer. I mean, this summer, see, July 93rd. Right. Right. I mean, what. What in the world? But anyways, here we are, my friend.
[00:00:31] Speaker C: Here we are not being able to wear our. Our fall sweaters because we sweat and sweat through the sweaters.
But, you know, I don't know if Mother Danger got the memo or she's just like, I am living my best summer life, and I'm not ready to give it up.
[00:00:46] Speaker B: Yes. And I don't know if you've heard this, Nika. You know, I've been hearing it from different things. Apparently, whenever winter or the cold weather does hit, it's supposed to be, like, for real cold. Like, it's supposed to be like some. Some snow in Alabama.
I don't know. I. I'll believe it when I see it and feel it.
[00:01:07] Speaker C: Pendulum is supposed to be swinging one way.
[00:01:10] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:01:10] Speaker C: Other. Okay. Wow.
[00:01:11] Speaker B: Yeah. How do you deal with the cold? Are you. Are you okay with the cold?
[00:01:15] Speaker C: Yeah, well, not. Well, I'm miserable.
[00:01:17] Speaker B: But then also, I think we're. We don't really love, like, the heat either.
[00:01:22] Speaker D: Heat.
[00:01:23] Speaker C: I don't like humidity.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: Oh, yes. Yeah.
[00:01:25] Speaker C: You know, I don't want to sweat, but it being hot, you know, I. I don't, you know, shake and freeze and my muscles don't hurt. But sweating's not fun. Yes. But, yeah, I have lots of, you know, heated blankets and footy slippers and, like, I get very much into hibernation mode in the winter. How about you?
[00:01:51] Speaker B: The same. Yes. It's just a different experience in the year, you know, because we transitioned to this holiday season. You. I know that we both love our different types of Halloween candy. I'm in the camp now at this point. I don't know if it's being in my 40s. I'm ready to just get the Christmas tree out and, like, let's just do it.
But I might be, you know, I might be a little premature with that, but, yeah, I. I'm in that weirdo. That's like, I'm ready just to. To take it.
Take the tree up and.
[00:02:20] Speaker C: Well, you know, that kind of hints at what we're talking about today because it does feel like summer. So I think we forget we are in October, and it is not very far away before we hit Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yep. Because, you know, you're not. You walk outside and you're like, okay, so when's August gonna get here?
[00:02:44] Speaker B: Right?
[00:02:44] Speaker C: And no, no, it's October. Yeah. But, you know, thinking about, like you said, Thanksgiving and dragging out the tree, you know, this is the time of year when we really kind of center our lives around food.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:02:59] Speaker C: And family more so than others. And so, you know, today that's going to give you a little bit of a tease about what we're talking about on our show today.
[00:03:08] Speaker B: It is. Yes. You know, we're thinking holidays, we're thinking food. We're also in football season or at that point in football season where there are certain signature games that we, you know, we look forward to during very specific times.
[00:03:24] Speaker C: It's a holiday.
[00:03:26] Speaker B: It really is. And so, you know, we've got to take a break, you guys, but that is the teaser that we have for you. But we will tell you before the break that we have an incredible guest today. I feel like anytime we have a guest, I say we have an incredible guest, but I really mean that every time.
[00:03:43] Speaker C: Bring bad guests on this show.
[00:03:45] Speaker B: No, ma'.
[00:03:45] Speaker C: Am. We got. We got the rock stars coming on this show. Like, they.
They do our job for us. They're just so. They just make our job fun and easy because, I mean, we haven't had a bad guest yet.
[00:03:59] Speaker B: No, we really haven't. And, you guys, we're. We're not going to tease any longer. We're going to go straight to break so that when we get back, we can introduce our amazing guest to you. But you guys go grab something to drink, run to the restroom. Do what you got to do. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:04:22] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:04:31] Speaker B: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And I am so excited that today we have another fabulous guest. You know, we teased that at the beginning of the show. And for our listeners who have been listening to us for the past 10 years, or maybe you just started this semester, you may remember us having some guests earlier this semester from the center for Service and Leadership here on campus. And Mr.
Sadaris Williams was saying, hey, we have got to get somebody on from my team to talk about Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger. And so that is what we are doing today, you guys. We have the pleasure of having Ms. Abby Hirschbach, who is Team lead for Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger Abby. Thank you for being on the show today.
[00:05:23] Speaker D: Thank you so much for having me.
[00:05:25] Speaker B: Absolutely. And so, you know, we like to use this part of the show to really get to know our guests. You know, we go into the details of your life. Nothing. We're not trying to get you to spill the tea, but we do like for you to share what your major is, what year in school you are, you know, what's your hometown. So give us the details, my friend.
[00:05:45] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:05:46] Speaker D: So I'm a senior. I'm majoring in finance and econ, and I'm originally from Reno, Nevada, so pretty far away from here.
[00:05:52] Speaker B: Okay. Oh, my goodness. Okay. So what brought you to ua?
[00:05:56] Speaker D: I was really looking for a change. I wanted to get out of Nevada just for a couple years. Um, so I just started to look across the country. I toured the University of Alabama. I fell in love with the campus and with the people, and so then I just chose that this was the school for me.
[00:06:10] Speaker B: Okay, so I'm curious, were there other people in your graduating class that also went to ua? Are you kind of the Lone Ranger?
[00:06:19] Speaker D: I was the Lone Ranger. We had about three people go to SEC schools, but I'm the only Alabama.
[00:06:25] Speaker B: Okay. Oh, my goodness. Well, how does it feel being this far away from home? You know, I feel like as a institution with a lot of out of state students, you know, we have people all over the country. We have people from out of the country.
Did it feel strange at first being that far away from Reno?
[00:06:44] Speaker D: I think I was really prepared to be that far away. So it wasn't really a big change. I was really excited to get involved on campus, and so that's one of the first things I did. So I was really able to find a support system, and I think that's something that Alabama does really well. So I found it to be relatively easy.
So. Yeah.
[00:07:01] Speaker B: Yeah. I appreciate you sharing that because we have a lot of listeners who, you know, they're. They're thinking about, you know, obviously, if they're listening to us, they're probably already a current UA student. And so, you know, they've made that decision to come here, and they may be from out of state or we also have listeners. Listeners who have been local to Alabama, and maybe they're trying to explore going to graduate school across the country, so once they finish undergrad here. So I feel like it's very encouraging to hear that you had such a positive experience with that transition to Alabama. And I know earlier, Abby, you mentioned being a Finance major. What is end game for you? What's kind of career goal?
[00:07:44] Speaker D: Yes. So right now, after I graduate, I'm looking at getting my master's in either econ or else just getting an mba.
If I get a master's in econ, I'm looking at going into public policy.
[00:07:55] Speaker B: That's fantastic. Now, do you. Do you want to stay in the south or are you interested in heading back to the. The west side of the country?
[00:08:05] Speaker D: I'm definitely still looking at the south, but again, kind of like I was when I was applying for undergrad. I'm kind of looking everywhere.
[00:08:11] Speaker B: Yeah, no, you got to keep your options open. Right.
So you mentioned earlier about, you know, finding a good support system here, getting involved.
I know we're talking to you primarily about your role with Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger, but what other activities are you involved in on campus?
[00:08:28] Speaker D: Yes, so when I first got to campus, I joined Greek Life. That was really fun. And then I also joined dsp, which is another fraternity, but that's more specific for business majors. And then through Culver House, I was involved or I am involved in an organization called Tide Talks Wealth. So that's more for the finance aspect of my major. And so that was really interesting and a good way to apply my major into an organization here on campus.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: Absolutely. I appreciate that, the plug for that because I think that sometimes students don't realize how they can really take advantage of those student orgs that are tied into their academic major. You know, it's great networking. It goes ahead and gives you some applicable experiences where you guys have those guest speakers who are coming to talk about the things specifically related to your academic major who are also alums of the program too.
I love that you have.
And I know again in just a little bit we are going to be talking about Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger. But you know, when we're thinking about your memory so far here at the Capstone, Abby, you mentioned being a senior. You know, you're kind of landing the plane on your time here at the Capstone. What have been your most favorite memories as a student?
[00:09:49] Speaker D: I think a very obvious one for I think most students is football games.
Just the whole day surrounded around it is really fun and it's just, just from being out of state, not something that I'd really experienced before. So I've loved that. And then just like in all the organizations I'm in in some of the tiny team moments, for example, Beat Opera and Beat Hunger just went to the Capitol last Wednesday and the bus ride over of two Hours. Just bonding with your team is really fun. And all the inside jokes that we were able to create. So just tiny moments like that where you're able to spend it with your friends, those are also been the most memorable.
[00:10:21] Speaker B: I love that. Well, it's very clear that you have a passion for being a student here at ua. You're definitely a great advocate for out of state students coming here and considering the capstone. And we definitely look forward to continuing this conversation. But you guys, we've got to take a quick break. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:10:48] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa
[00:10:55] Speaker C: Foreigners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and NAECA on 90.7 the capstone. And today we are joined by our guest, Abby Hirschbach, who is the team lead for Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger here at the Capstone. And Abby, thank you so much for joining us. I wanted to ask you, tell our listeners, how did you first become involved with Beat Auburn? Beat Hunger.
[00:11:19] Speaker D: Yes. So I heard a lot about it my freshman year. Saw it on get on Board day. I decided to join. Freshman year I was just a general staff member, so I'd help with a lot of the neighborhood pickups or else dropping off barrels. I continued that membership throughout my sophomore year. And then junior year is when I decided to become halfway through sophomore year, and then the rest of junior year, I decided to become the vice president of finance for bn Auburn B Hunger. And then this year I have the opportunity to be the president.
[00:11:48] Speaker C: Look at you just working your way up the ladder.
[00:11:50] Speaker B: I know, and I, I know that you, you know, talked about making that transition, but if someone were to have told you, you know, that first year that you were involved, like, hey, you're eventually going to become team lead, would you believe them?
[00:12:04] Speaker D: I would not. I think that because as a freshman, it was just such a big organization to me and it felt like such a prominent organization on campus that I didn't think that I would ever be a leader for it.
[00:12:15] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:16] Speaker C: So you kind of explained to our listeners how you went step by step. But, you know, what skills can you now turn back and look and go, okay, that developed me.
[00:12:25] Speaker D: I think one of the biggest things is being able to take rejection because a lot of it is being able to.
A lot of it's being told no, especially when you're asking big companies for thousands of dollars.
[00:12:36] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:12:37] Speaker D: So taking that no and kind of using it as momentum to then ask more companies and then Just also supporting a team when a lot of it's negative or just getting told no, like I said. So what we did this year is we set goals for ourselves and then whenever we accomplish them, we kind of celebrate in our team meetings. So that's been super helpful. So I think just being, using momentum is something that I've really developed.
[00:13:00] Speaker C: Yeah. Not letting it destroy your confidence.
[00:13:02] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:13:02] Speaker C: It's not personal, it's business. Yeah. So. And yeah, I get that. But I would understand like being told no, but you're like, it's such a great organization, you don't understand why.
[00:13:13] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I like, I love that we're talking about this because I think that is the reality of the world and you know, and business and working in philanthropies that we're passionate about is like, there is that tough side of the coin where, oh, not everyone is going to have the same vision as of and you know, they're not going to have that capacity. And it's like, what's wrong with you? But then it's like, okay, it's, it's okay. You know, we're going to, we're going to try to find like our next best resource. You know, what does this look like? And you know, I think along that vein, what has been the most rewarding part of leading a large student run initiative?
[00:13:54] Speaker D: I think last year being on exec, just being able to see, we beat our school record, which was insane, and we beat it by at least a hundred thousand pounds. So it was by a lot.
[00:14:05] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:14:05] Speaker D: And then together with Auburn, we raised over 1.1 million pounds of food for the state. So seeing that and then just using that momentum for this year. So this year we're already starting to see. Because last year we did an event called Canstruction.
[00:14:18] Speaker B: So.
[00:14:18] Speaker D: So this year we're doing our second annual construction and that's going to take place on Thursday. And just seeing the development from last year to this year has been super inspiring.
So that answers your.
[00:14:29] Speaker C: Oh, okay. So I have to know, what is Canstruction?
[00:14:33] Speaker D: Yes. So Can Struction is one of our big events that we did last year and we're trying to make it an annual ordeal. So last year we tried to raise 32,000 cans to celebrate 32 years. This year we're trying to raise 33,000 cans. So we're reaching out to all the student organizations on campus.
This year we reached out to everyone whose email was on get on Board day and then we're asking organizations to donate 100 cans it's organizations and also classrooms so teachers are able to sign their classes up for it. And then once they donate the hundred cans on Thursday is when we're going to spell out rule tide with all of the cans, take pictures, have some people take pictures with us and then all of those cans go to the food bank that night.
[00:15:14] Speaker C: Hold on now. The listeners out there, somebody out there has got to be like me.
How many people and how long is it going to take to spell that out with 33000 cans?
[00:15:25] Speaker B: So that is the. Yeah, that is the most important question.
[00:15:29] Speaker D: That is.
[00:15:30] Speaker C: Yeah, that's super important to me because I'm thinking talk about perseverance and. And staying until the task is finished.
[00:15:37] Speaker D: So what's also important is last year our goal was 32000 just to for the 32,000 years. We did get 10,000 cans which for our first year was we were super proud of. So our goal is 33. I don't know that that's going to be a tank, sure. But we are working on it. So we are still working with thousands of cans or tens of thousands of cans.
Right now we have an allotted four hours last year A lot of the time comes from picking it up after you spell it out, but it takes a lot of manpower. So if people are looking to volunteer, Thursday is a great opportunity. We're taking volunteer opportunities but it's also really fun. We'll have food, we have music. So it good way to meet people. But you will get a good workout in.
[00:16:18] Speaker C: Aha.
[00:16:19] Speaker B: So with the can struction, do you feel like that is the new part of Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger that has helped with surpassing that goal of like getting that extra hundred thousand pounds that you mentioned earlier? I was kind of curious like if you know when you're looking at the data from past years, like if there was something that you can tell like okay, this is the difference that was made in terms of why we got more cans this year. And I didn't know if it was canstruction or if there was particular organizations that just stepped it up even more than usual or if it was just the luck of the draw that more people were donating last year.
[00:16:59] Speaker D: I think it. I think construction is a really big help compared to what we did in previous years because it is 10,000 cans which is going to equate to a lot of pounds.
But also last year exec really killed it in pretty much every aspect. I know for barrels we set a record for how many barrels we had out in the Community.
Our community events. We also had an auction, which we have this year, a silent auction. So I think, really last year, we did an amazing job of getting out there a little bit more. And so we're trying to roll with that this year and keep that momentum up. But I think it just. I think the increase that we saw was everyone's effort from last year.
[00:17:37] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I'm trying to think, and I might be totally off base with this, and this could be a completely different initiative, but for Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger. Do you guys typically partner with some of the local schools in the Tuscaloosa area? Do they gather cans as well in efforts for this initiative?
[00:18:00] Speaker D: Yes. So, like, I just mentioned our barrels. Those go out to the community.
One of the main spots where we put them is schools. So about a week ago, I dropped one off at a middle school, and that's actually where we get a lot of community help and community outreach is because a lot of the parents or the students during drop off will drop off the cans. So that's been really helpful throughout all of the years.
[00:18:21] Speaker B: Okay, Nika, I mentioned that because I don't know if you remember last year, the school that our children go to, I was like, oh, man, I'm going to help the classrooms for my kids. This is going to be great. And so the way that they had it set up is that there was gonna be a quote unquote winner for each of the grades. And I just remember, I can't remember which. Which grade it was for one of my sons. I was like, oh, man, this is gonna be great. And then we found out that a little girl in a different classroom within the same grade, her dad had brought, like, a truckload and, like, pallets of cans so that his baby girl's class could win. And I was like, you know what?
[00:19:02] Speaker C: I think they got like a. Like a trip from the ice cream truck for, you know, like. Like a banana popsicle. Yeah. But, hey, it's teaching them to be service oriented. And. And, you know, because I remember that much, my now 4th grader came home every day and was like, we've got to give more. We've got to give more.
And, you know. Okay, okay. You know, so I do. I do like the competitive part of it because, you know, because I did have conversation with her, I'm like, you do know that this is more than just a Popsicle, right? She's like, no, I know. They explained it to us while we're doing it, so. Yeah.
[00:19:40] Speaker B: And it's like, okay, Good. Yeah.
[00:19:41] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:19:42] Speaker D: But I feel like building off of that competitiveness, that's exactly why it works so well. Just because, like, the students were experiencing it in classrooms. That's what we're experiencing between Auburn and between Alabama Daily. So.
[00:19:55] Speaker B: So how has your involvement with Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger changed how you think of service or community needs and just community service in general?
[00:20:07] Speaker D: I think I never really got to experience any service within food insecurity. So then coming over to Alabama, I really noticed specifically why this film, why this philanthropy is so important.
Specifically, last year, when the government shut down, a lot of the food swipes, they weren't able to be used. And so then we had a lot of people reaching out to Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger, asking if we could help their families. So I think that's when you start to see what you're doing.
And I think that that was one of the most monumental moments for me while being in Beat Auburn. Beat Hunger is just seeing how much you're able to help people.
And I think what. We're lucky because we're able to see our food go to families, but not. You're not able to see that in every philanthropic cause.
[00:20:51] Speaker C: Right.
[00:20:52] Speaker D: And so I think this was just another, like, getting your hands on how you're actually helping people, which was super, super important for me.
[00:20:59] Speaker C: Yeah. And we eat every day. You gotta have it.
[00:21:01] Speaker B: Well, I.
I don't know. I've just loved this conversation. You know, Nika, I. I feel like you and I both have similar sentiments. Anytime we hear about just the incredible things that are happening on our campus or in the community for serving others, it just feels great.
[00:21:18] Speaker C: And so it's even better when the students are leading it.
[00:21:21] Speaker B: Yes, yes. Those hashtag transferable skills. But, y', all, we're gonna keep the conversation going, but we've got to take a quick break.
You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:21:38] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:21:47] Speaker C: Happy Sunday, y'. All. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:21:53] Speaker B: Yes. And if you are just now joining us, you gotta go back and listen to earlier parts of the show. We have had an incredible conversation so far with Abby Hirschbach, who is team lead for Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger. And I am just gonna say party foul on our show for not bringing this up earlier on, but I'm just thinking, you know what? For listeners who may not know, Abby, what is Beat Auburn Beat Hunger? We've Been talking about it like, you know, people should know it like the back of their hand. And we realized there may be some newbies to the game.
[00:22:29] Speaker D: Yes. So Be Auburn. Be Hunger is a seven week food drive leading up to the Iron bowl where all of our donations and efforts benefits the West Alabama Food bank and then all of Auburn's benefits benefits the East Alabama Food Bank. Last year together we raised over 1.1 million pounds of food for the state. So it's a really impactful program here and on Auburn's campus.
[00:22:49] Speaker C: Who won last year?
[00:22:51] Speaker D: That was Auburn. But this year we're going to win and that's what matters.
[00:22:54] Speaker C: Yes.
So, Abby, for those listeners out there who might not come on campus all the time and may not have a child in school, but are in the community, they're like, hey, I want to beat Auburn and Beat Hunger.
[00:23:08] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:23:08] Speaker C: Where would they be able to find like a barrel to donate some cans?
[00:23:13] Speaker D: Definitely. So Alabama Credit Union has actually been really helpful and they've offered us quite a few locations. So we have the Alabama Credit Union on Hillcrest, Skyland, Northport, Huntington, Five Points, a couple other few would be Pat's Florist, the Fawcett Brothers Activity Center, Tuscaloosa Parks and Recreation. It's also on the Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger website and there's going to be a full list of about 20 to 30 locations.
[00:23:42] Speaker C: So just hearing that, that covers pretty much any area that our listeners in town would be living by or traveling to. I mean, you've got all the way out Northport, you've got Skyland, you've got Highway 69. I mean, there's no excuse to not beat Auburn and be stronger.
[00:24:02] Speaker B: This is true, yes. Okay, how about monetary donations? Does that play a role at all? Or do you guys really depend on those physical donations?
[00:24:12] Speaker D: We love both. Physical donations are great. However, monetary donations do go further. At the West Alabama Food bank, they're able to get get food at a cheaper price.
So what we say is $1 equates to six meals to feed someone.
And so actually monetary donations are more beneficial for the West Alabama Food Bank. If you guys want to donate monetarily, it is on our website at Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger.
And then also we also have QR codes all around campus. If you guys are on game day, we are handing out game day fans. There's a QR code on the back of that. So there's multiple ways to donate monetarily.
[00:24:48] Speaker C: I mean, my alumni out there who are still salty about maybe their time in college when we Might have been beaten in the iron bolt. This is your time to get victory.
[00:25:00] Speaker D: That's a great opportunity.
[00:25:01] Speaker C: It might not be in football.
You know, you might go back 25 years and change the score of the game, but we can change Auburn not winning this thing two years in a row.
[00:25:11] Speaker D: This is.
[00:25:12] Speaker B: Yes, yes, this is true. And Abby, forgive me if you have already mentioned this, but how long has this initiative been around? Around.
[00:25:21] Speaker D: Yes. So this is the 33rd year.
[00:25:22] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:25:23] Speaker D: Both our campus.
[00:25:24] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:25:25] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:25:25] Speaker B: Okay. Yes. My. My brain is now firing at all.
I'm making the connection now. Yes. Okay.
[00:25:33] Speaker C: So this is kind of a no brainer question because it's Beet Auburn and Beat Hunger. But the competition aspect.
[00:25:41] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:25:42] Speaker C: You know, what do you see be so different in people participating in this than maybe other, you know, initiatives to raise, I don't know, coats for the winter or, you know, school supplies? You know, what's different about this?
[00:25:58] Speaker D: One of the things that we noticed on get on Board day is people would specifically stop at our table because they just read beat Auburn first. And then they'd say, I want to be Auburn. What do we have to do? And then we'd start leading a dope.
Yes. And I think just the competition, it really fires people up. I know UA Miracle, which is another organization in the csl, they will do fundraisers between each Miracle or each, like Bamathon. And they're doing one between Tennessee. They just did one between fsu. So I think the competition's a really good way just to fire up both sides.
[00:26:30] Speaker C: Yes. I love it. So the, the flip side of that would be our, you know, health promotion angle of. Yes. We're wanting students like, I don't care what it is. I just want to beat Auburn. But what are you seeing come out of that as far as education on students now learning more about food insecurity.
[00:26:51] Speaker D: Yes. So I think a lot of people signed up for Be Auburn Beat Hunger again just because they want to be Auburn. It's also nice because it ties into football, which is what a lot of people are really excited about on campus.
At our first meeting, we actually did an activity, what we call our hunger banquet. And so we offered snacks, but depend your snack depended on your socioeconomic class.
And so it was really interesting. So we gave everyone a note card when they walked in. And then that note card would represent their socioeconomic class. And then depending on that, so the first, the blue card, which happened to be the highest, they would get a sandwich. And then the green card they got, I believe it was Pretzels and a cheese stick. And then our lowest class, they ended up getting cookies. And so it was a good representation of how many people are in the highest socioeconomic class, how many are in the lowest. And then also the nutritional value between the snacks that you're receiving.
[00:27:44] Speaker C: Yes.
Look at that educational moment.
[00:27:48] Speaker B: I know, I remember.
And it's, it's been several years.
I remember speaking at the hunger banquet before, I think we were including some education regarding the nutritional aspect of, of hunger and then making that connection of how it affects young kids in school who are not getting adequately nourished. And so, Nika, I remember participating in the banquet experience. And so I drew the lower card and I distinctly have a core memory of my meal being. It was clear chicken broth and two saltines. And then the other person at the table that drew the higher socioeconomic card, it was like chicken breast with a sweet potato. You know, it was, you know, a full, like, entree salad with it.
[00:28:35] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:28:36] Speaker B: And I mean, I was, I was hangry that night, you know, and, and that's, you know, I think from my perspective, just as part of a temporary experience experiment, it was, you know, hashtag first world problem. But, you know, for those that this is their reality, that that can be very eye openening.
[00:28:53] Speaker C: And I like how in the previous segment, so listeners, if you haven't listened, go back, please. You were talking about last year, people who were affected by the government layoff.
So, you know, you have these misconceptions that people should just do better for themselves, will get a better job.
You have a really great government job. You can't help that the government shut down.
So you can't. We can't put people in certain categories and say, well, that, you know, they're not feeding their family well because they don't make good decisions. That's not always the case. And I'm glad that you brought that up because people were employed. They were quote, unquote, trying to provide from the family and do all the things that were. They've been told that you need to do for adequate nutrition. Yes. There's things that are out of your control and you never know when you are going to be the one to draw that lowest socioeconomic card.
[00:29:49] Speaker D: Right.
[00:29:50] Speaker C: You don't know when it's your turn.
[00:29:51] Speaker B: Yeah, I, you know, I think that especially with the conversations that we're having right now, we, we've drilled in the point that this is such an important initiative. I think that it gives students a newfound perspective on what community service means and how they're really just directly affecting their community in a positive way. And so, you know, as we wrap up our time with you today, Abby, tell our listeners, you know, how do they get plugged in? You know, they're, they may be listening. They're like, oh, my gosh, like, this sounds like the most amazing thing ever. Like, what kind of volunteer opportunities are there? I know you mentioned construction, but anything else going on leading up to the Iron Bowl? And for the students who don't have a lot of time to volunteer, like, what are some other ways that they can help out?
[00:30:42] Speaker D: Yes. So one of the biggest ways right now this week is construction. Like we mentioned, we're also doing a 5k run.
No, no. November 8th. That's a really good way to just sign up. It's also a good opportunity for you to have a fun night with your friends.
All of the proceeds are going to benefit the West Alabama Food Bank. So that's a really great way to spend your time.
Also, a lot of the QR codes will be tabling, and that's a really easy way to donate, just monetary. If you're a freshman and you have guest meal swipes, this is one of the biggest ways that we can win. Auburn doesn't have this, so this is kind of our competitive advantage. If you donate 10 of those, which is what you have, and you can donate 1 to 10, that's a really easy way to help beat Auburn, beat hunger. And a lot of people don't use their guest meal swipes by the end of the semester. So it's really easy way and it's really does not affect you too much.
And then next year or in the, in the winter semester, we're also opening up applications again. So if it's something that you want to get your hands on a little bit more, then it's a great way. Because in the, in the winter we do this. But across the sec. So we'll have an SEC food fight.
[00:31:50] Speaker C: Man, oh man.
[00:31:51] Speaker B: So the, the party just keeps going.
[00:31:53] Speaker C: I like how you said food fight. Yes, I like that.
[00:31:57] Speaker B: Well, Abby, thank you so much for everything that you've shared today.
You know, it's always great for us to have our student leaders on campus come and speak with us, share their experiences, share how to get involved. And so we're just grateful to you.
[00:32:11] Speaker D: Thank you guys so much for having me.
[00:32:13] Speaker C: Thank you so much. And I Hope you hit those 33, 000 cans.
[00:32:17] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:32:17] Speaker C: Fingers crossed.
[00:32:18] Speaker B: Yes. So listeners, get on it. You guys, we've got to take a Quick break and then we'll be closing out the show. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:32:33] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:32:42] Speaker B: Welcome back listeners. We have had the best show today with Abby Hirschbach as she talked about beat Auburn, beat hunger. But na, my friend, now it's just me and you closing out the show.
[00:32:55] Speaker C: Yeah, our awesome, awesome guest went on, went to take a really intimidating sounding business school class for her major.
I was like, oh, I am getting like stressed just listening to it. But you know, math is not my thing. I don't do finance and numbers. So I'm really intimidated by all that. How about you? Were you good at math in school?
[00:33:23] Speaker B: I don't know. I can't.
I would love to say, like, oh, yes, I was. I haven't done a lick of math in several years. Well, other than helping, you know, my, my second grader at this point with his math. But I will say I think the reason it's hard for me to remember if I did well in math or not is that I ended up doing the dual enrollment thing in high school. I think that it, you know, it was kind of in its infancy back then, but I was able to do some math classes my senior of high school where I could just avoid taking college classes at Alabama that were math related. Now I tell you what though, Nika, and don't let this fool you when I use the words calculus, but I took Cal 1 and Cal 2 in high school for dual enrollment.
[00:34:18] Speaker C: So yeah, you're good at math, but
[00:34:21] Speaker B: those maths were not needed for my major or they overshot what I actually needed. So all of the blood, sweat and tears that happened for me in high school, it was not. I just wish I had known back then what my major was going to be. So I could have been like, I could have totally avoided this calculus stuff from the get go.
[00:34:41] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, no, I, I have to use a calculator just so, you know, balance the checkbook. So. But write you an essay. I can, I can, I can flow with some words, but math and I, we've not been on speaking terms in quite a bit.
[00:34:58] Speaker B: I mean, it really is a totally different langu. It is, you know. Now other than math, what course that you can remember, whether at undergrad level or grad school level gave you the Sunday scaries back in the day?
[00:35:12] Speaker C: Western civ.
Western civilization in the bottom of 10 Hore Hall.
He did not use PowerPoints. He didn't use a book. He just literally stood at the lectern and talked as fast as he could about countries. I had never heard of kids coming out of high school, you know, I mean, this was before the Google and the social. You know, I feel like we're more connected. We know a little bit more just because we read about other places.
[00:35:42] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:35:42] Speaker C: You know, that things are happening.
I didn't know how to write the names of some of these countries because, you know, again, it's Western Civ and it was up to 1865. Yeah. So is way back in the day.
And I just remember frantically taking notes Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as fast and as hard as I could and didn't even know if I was spelling it correctly because, I mean, it's not like you could go later and look it up on the Google, you know.
Yeah. However many years later and I still go, no.
[00:36:15] Speaker B: Well, you know, it's funny you mentioned Western Civ, because I remember the first day of class my freshman year at Alabama in 10. Horror being in a Western Civ class. And it was, I think it was like, like my first class of the day. And it definitely, maybe because the classroom was older, it was large. It just gave that aesthetic of, wow, I'm in college now. And I remember the professor, older gentleman, he was explaining how he grades on a bell curve. And I distinctly remember him saying, he's like, if you make an A on my test, okay, but if you make the lowest A of all your classmates, you're actually going to be getting an A year enough. And I was like, what in the what? And I just was like, I. Nope, nope. So I immediately dropped the class, and I ended up taking, I think, American history as a transient student at a community college later that summer. I was like, near.
This is not how it's going to start for me.
But I think that aside from that, there was also this nutritional biochem class that just whooped my butt my junior year. It was, you know, the Krebs cycle was going on. There were some other specifics. I don't know. There was just a lot going on.
[00:37:36] Speaker C: Words, food, human body, anatomy, all of the things. Yes, I'm sure.
[00:37:44] Speaker B: Yes. And I'm sure, you know, you also have an appreciation for understanding the background science of why we make the recommendations that we do to our patients and clients. But I'm also now realizing as an adult, I'm never going to have a client or a patient that's like, hey, hey, I need you to draw the Krebs cycle for me. And this is How I'm gonna, you know, understand my metabolism, you know, Like, I just. I. It's like, that's the. What they make you feel in school when it's like this blank sheet of paper. It's like, okay, draw the Krebs cycle. Explain every part of the process. And then it's like, I can't do it. I know.
[00:38:22] Speaker C: Yeah, I know. But then it becomes so ingrained in you that you don't realize that in weird ways, you are kind of explaining it to people during the day. But you never, like, you're like, you said, you never get out the piece of paper and draw it, but you understand it, and you understand how it works in the body and why it's important. But, yeah, it's when you have that pen to the paper, and they're like, draw a timeline of the 1400s war. And you're like, yeah, what? Yeah. When will I ever use this again?
[00:38:49] Speaker B: Yeah. It's like, I'm not gonna be on Jeopardy. I'm not gonna, you know, smart enough for Jeopardy. Yeah. It's like, what. What is gonna happen here? But, you guys, thankfully.
Oh, you know, we're not. We're not in school anymore. I mean, we. We are in school.
[00:39:02] Speaker C: We're not students.
[00:39:03] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:39:03] Speaker C: Anymore. We're not the stud hard not to make. We remember. We remember those horror stories, and we try not to perpetuate them and make that kind of Sunday scaries for our students.
[00:39:14] Speaker B: Yeah. We're not gonna be doom thinking right now, But, y', all, we challenge you not to doom think as well. We hope that you guys have the most fabulous week, and we will catch you next time on Fit to Be Tied. So signing off for today, it is Sheena. Na, we'll catch you next time.
[00:39:35] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloos.
