Oct 8, 2026 · 24 min · 10 segments
Whether she’s borrowing her mom’s vintage Auburn swag or studying abroad, Salena Marino, a senior in civil and environmental engineering, knows a thing or two about building strong foundations, both…
Um, what is your sales pitch? What is your s- sales to somebody who is coming from the Birmingham area, maybe trying to think of going somewhere else, and why this was such a phenomenal decision and the right decision for you?
I always start out by telling my families that Auburn is the Disney World of Alabama.
And so I always end up telling them as well that it's just small enough to know the people you wanna know but just big enough to not see the people that you grew up with your entire life and be able to branch out, which is a really special thing about Auburn.
But I always tell them that you go to other engineering schools and you look at the competitive aspect of it, and you're gonna have to apply again to get into the department that you want.
We actually rely on each other, and that is my big sales pitch when I talk to my students.
I say, "There's never been a time that I have not gone up to just a random engineer stu- engineering student with me and asked them for help.
And instead of being competitive and like, 'Ooh, I can't give her hints or else she'll do better than me,' it's always, 'Let me help you.
Let's get through it together.'" And so the community here is just, it's unmatched.
And I was told by a lot of my high school friends, "Oh, Miss Auburn right there." Um, and that's what I wanted to show other, other families, show other students and pour into them just as much as this college has poured, poured into me.
The opportunities I've gotten have been endless, as well as, um, the doors that were closed here opened so many other doors in Auburn.
Um, it's just a huge family, and I just wanted other families to feel that special and, um, connectivity that you get here from Auburn.
Um, what is your sales pitch? What is your s- sales to somebody who is coming from the Birmingham area, maybe trying to think of going somewhere else, and why this was such a phenomenal decision and the right decision for you?
I always start out by telling my families that Auburn is the Disney World of Alabama.
And so I always end up telling them as well that it's just small enough to know the people you wanna know but just big enough to not see the people that you grew up with your entire life and be able to branch out, which is a really special thing about Auburn.
But I always tell them that you go to other engineering schools and you look at the competitive aspect of it, and you're gonna have to apply again to get into the department that you want.
We actually rely on each other, and that is my big sales pitch when I talk to my students.
I say, "There's never been a time that I have not gone up to just a random engineer stu- engineering student with me and asked them for help.
And instead of being competitive and like, 'Ooh, I can't give her hints or else she'll do better than me,' it's always, 'Let me help you.
Let's get through it together.'" And so the community here is just, it's unmatched.
And I was told by a lot of my high school friends, "Oh, Miss Auburn right there." Um, and that's what I wanted to show other, other families, show other students and pour into them just as much as this college has poured, poured into me.
The opportunities I've gotten have been endless, as well as, um, the doors that were closed here opened so many other doors in Auburn.
Um, it's just a huge family, and I just wanted other families to feel that special and, um, connectivity that you get here from Auburn.
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