Each time I am with my friend Maura around campus, she says hello to a minimum of twenty people… no exaggeration. She practically knows every member of the student body because she is extremely involved in many diverse and exciting organizations and clubs here at Brandeis. Scheduling a time to meet with her was a task in itself because she had to fit me in between her chemistry lab, her STAR office hours, and SEA board meeting. Curious how she manages to do it all? Find out in our interview.
HC: As a midyear, who only has one semester at Brandeis under their belt, HC is impressed with how involved you are. How did you do it?
MBD: Honestly, I don’t even feel like I do that much! Everything I do I really enjoy, and although I feel busy, I like it that way so it isn’t necessarily stressful. As soon as I got to Brandeis I was SO ready to dive in and participate in the clubs and organizations I wish I joined in high school. While I was highly involved at my high school, I was always too shy to try and lead something, so I felt like it was time to break out of that shell.
HC: As the chair of the food policy for SEA (Students for Environmental Action), what does your position entail?
MBD: For the most part, my position entails: organizing, being enthusiastic, and assigning weekly goals for the group. I am the leader of the Food Policy Committee (out of 4 total committees that SEA has each semester), and currently we are focusing on changing the food quality here on campus. We live close to many produce farms, and are trying our best to bring that delicious produce here.
Last semester when I became the leader of this group I had virtually no idea what food policy even meant. Sure, I was always conscious of eating organic vs. inorganic food, but anything farther than that was over my head. Now, it absorbs me in a way I didn’t think possible. Sorry – I could talk about this for hours! Anyway, our group meets once a week to discuss how to change the food on campus.
This past week a few of us took a personal tour of Aramark’s distributor (where most of our produce comes from) entitled Sid Weiner & Son. Through activities similar to these, we are informing our selves and gaining awareness so we can then turn it around and promote education on topics like these.
HC: Can you give us some details on your trip to Aramark?
MBD: The trip was really interesting – we saw the exact produce that is shipped to the dining facilities here on campus that is then turned into the plethora of dishes that are served in Usdan and Sherman. They explained to us about the difficulties in obtaining certain produce locally because of the time of the year/quality/quantity and many more other factors. Additionally, we had really fascinating discussions and at the end of the tour got our own personal tasting sessions of local samples of food.
HC: Have you become more conscious about the environment since joining SEA?
MBD: So much more than I ever thought I would be. I am conscious about the environment and try to do the best I can to change my habits and those of my friends and family.
HC: Can you tell us about STAR? Do you find that many of your friends look to you for relationship advice?
MBD: STAR is a great resource for students looking to speak to peers about anything. Many people think that because the acronym stands for Students Talking About Relationships, it means that the resource is solely for those who need to talk about their boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other. Not true at all!! We are there to discuss your relationships with anything whether it is to food, to homework, to a close friend, or to a parent. I think that a lot of my friends do come to me for advice or to just listen, and I love being that person for people. Everyone really needs an outlet no matter what is going on in his or her lives.
HC: Where is your favorite place to study on campus?
MBD: Two floors under the green room, where there are a lot of windows but it is really quiet and nice. If not there, then in the new science building – it makes me feel so smart!
HC: What is one thing HC readers should know about you that they don’t know already?
MBD: If I could have anything in the whole world (in terms of objects), I would have a pygmy marmoset. Google it right now, and you’ll see why.