TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT)- Summer's in high gear and for many high school graduates, that means getting ready for college. Those planning on attending the University of Alabama will get a different picture than what they probably remember. Two future UA students are doing something about that.
"When I was going through the college process, I knew I wanted to go south and I knew I wanted football, and Alabama had both," says Cassie Mireski, who will be a freshman at UA this fall.
Now, Tuscaloosa also has a long road to recovery in front of it. Mireski remembers watching the twister rip through her future home town. "I almost felt like I was there, too. I was so nervous, and it was awful. [It] was the worst tornado I've ever seen on television. It was scary, I felt like I was there too, and I wanted to help out."
Mireski and 22 of her classmates from Gill St. Bernards in Gladstone, NJ are in town helping with recovery efforts. They're touring an area that has a ton of history, but is in need of new memories. ""I thought it was amazing that since I'm going there and everyone's helping out, that I feel like I have a support behind me."
Mireski isn't alone in her move to Tuscaloosa. Jaren Sina, a 2013 point guard prospect who has verbally committed to the Tide, is putting in some hard work in the community before putting in the work on the court.
"It's just crazy. Because I think Tuscaloosa is just so beautiful amd to see it destroyed, it's just mind boggling. It really stinks."
Sina's used to leading his teammates on the court. Now, he's hoping to help lead a ravaged community to recovery.
"All of the people of Tuscaloosa, those are our fans. I want everyone to be on the same board and hopefully just get this place back to normal."
