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UA Students Go Beyond Bama: Serving in Memphis

In December 2021, a team of students from The University of Alabama traveled to Memphis, TN with the Center for Service and Leadership to serve local organizations in a Beyond Bama trip. It was the first time since December 2019 that CSL has been able to take students on these trips.Students who served in the Beyond Bama Memphis trip sit on a brick bench for a picture

Beyond Bama is a unique program that sends students around the United States and even the world to participate in service learning experiences during University holiday breaks. Zoë Winston, assistant director of the CSL, said, “One key element that sets Beyond Bama apart is that not only do students get to engage in intense and intentional service but they also have intentional reflection time to help connect what they are learning on their Beyond Bama trip to what they are learning in classes.”

“The goal of these trips is to engage students with the broader, global community,” she added. These trips are almost fully student led, with faculty and staff advisors who facilitate discussion and reflection times to maximize the student learning and leadership experience.

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UA Students and Partners Collaborate to Make Holiday Wishes Come True

At The University of Alabama, collaboration is key. Not only among students, staff, and faculty, but also with community partners who help make it the place Where Legends Are Made.

This December, alliantgroup, one of the Career Center’s Champions, partnered with two UA student organizations, the African Student Association and the Society of Human Resource Management, for a community outreach project to serve the Tuscaloosa Foster Care Program.

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Pike Brothers Start Local Organization: Greek Gives

Far too often, someone sees an opportunity to help but gives in to any number of excuses that keep them from making a difference. 

 I don’t know where to begin.  

I don’t have time.  

It’s not sustainable.  

 This give-in mentality is a foreign concept for two brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha, Gamma Alpha Chapter at UA. Brice Shafer noticed the amount of food that was being thrown away at fraternity houses and thought there had to be an opportunity to share their resources with those in need. When he noticed the waste in 2020, he tried to partner with the local Red Cross, but because of restrictions related to the pandemic, nothing came of his efforts.

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Turning Tide Mentorship Program

Students who mentor students – That’s the vision that the UA Student Government Association (SGA) and Madeline Martin, the Vice President for External Affairs has for the Turning Tide mentorship program.

Turning Tide allows SGA members to mentor local high school freshmen

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Meet Kailee Brands, a National Student Exchange Program Student

Kailee Brands got to study at UA through the National Student Exchange Program. She’s a junior double majoring in sports management and strategic communications, and her home campus is the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

See what she had to say about the program:

“I chose to do National Student Exchange because I have always wanted to travel and experience new places. NSE was an opportunity to do that without the large financial repercussions of similar programs like study abroad.

“This program has meant a lot to me – so much so that I decided to go on a second exchange to Hawaii in the Spring 2022 semester. It is a great way to really enrich yourself in a new place and learn their history. NSE exchanges are for a semester or a full year, so you really get the chance to explore everything while on exchange without feeling too rushed. This experience also showed me that I am capable of packing up everything and moving across the country for a job or anything else in the future and I will be able to handle the change!”

Are you interested in participating in the National Student Exchange Program so you can study at another college campus while earning credit toward your UA degree? Visit their website to learn more.

Sammy SAFE Box

When Pedro Reyes became philanthropy chair for Sigma Alpha Mu at The University of Alabama, he knew he wanted to empower his brothers to make a difference, but he had no idea he’d be executing a major collaboration of every Greek organization on campus to raise $9,000 and countless supplies to support the Tuscaloosa SAFE Center.

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Phriday Phrenzy: Student Collaboration for Philanthropy

At the beginning of the Fall 2021 semester, Sam Rickert and his fraternity brothers partnered with the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and several other fraternities to host an event called Phriday Phrenzy that raised over $2,500 to support the 2022 UA Dance Marathon (UADM) fundraiser for Children’s of Alabama, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in Birmingham.

Sam has been a plugged-in student at UA since he arrived from Louisville, Kentucky his freshman year. Now the treasurer of UA’s Phi Delta Theta chapter and executive vice president of SGA, he’s thrilled to collaborate with his campus connections to make a difference for others.

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