Student Achievement

UAB Graduate School hosted its 2020 Virtual Three Minute Thesis competition November 2-6, and announced the winners at a Virtual Awards Ceremony November 9. There were 9 finalists in the competition. A panel of judges selected the top two competitors, while the third place was a People's Choice award.

The Graduate School recognized five doctoral students and five master’s students as recipients of the 2020 UAB Samuel B. Barker Award for Excellence in Graduate Studies.

The Spring 2019 UAB Doctoral Hooding Ceremony and Master's Student Commencement was held April 26 at the Bartow Arena. During the spring, more than 700 students earned graduate degrees, including 63 doctoral degrees. The Graduate School would like to congratulate all of the Spring 2019 graduates!

View photos of the event online.

Mark Pepin and Antonio Foles are the recipients of the 2019 UAB Samuel B. Barker Award for Excellence in Graduate Studies.

“The Barker Award,” named for UAB’s first graduate dean, Dr. Samuel Booth Barker, is given each spring to one Ph.D. student and one Master’s student, both of whom expect to receive their degrees within the calendar year. The Barker Awards are given to graduate students who represent the highest level of student achievement in a UAB graduate program.

The Fall 2018 UAB Doctoral Hooding Ceremony and Master's Student Commencement was held December 14 at the Bartow Arena. During the fall, approximately 800 students earned graduate degrees, including 73 doctoral degrees. The Graduate School would like to congratulate all of the Fall 2018 graduates!

View photos of the event online.

While most children played ball or dressed up in princess gowns, a young Sabrina Heiser only wanted one thing – to experience the beauty and wonder of life under the water.

This love of ocean life began when she was 8 years old and her parents introduced her to this wonderful thing called scuba diving. Now, the young German girl could do more than just dream of this magical underwater world; she could actually see it and touch it and truly be a part of it.

Birmingham native Junias Jackson had always felt a connection to the United States Army. For as long as he can remember, his father, a disabled Vietnam Army veteran, and uncle, a Korean War veteran, would tell tales of their time overseas. It was something that caught his interest at an early age, but it wasn’t until he was 13 that he knew he wanted to be in the military.

Jimmedda Mills was not what you would consider a “perfect” soldier. Her childhood dreams didn’t involve wearing a uniform and deploying to far-off places. The Texas native enlisted because she was mad at her parents and wanted to get far away. She stayed for the monetary or educational benefits. It wasn’t until Mills was ready to leave the Army that she fell in love with it and found her purpose in life – to be a leader.

Michael Schultz carries many titles – student, researcher, teacher, writer.

But for 30 days out of the year, the 28-year-old Minnesota native adds one more to the mix – pumpkin carver.

The Summer 2018 UAB Doctoral Hooding Ceremony and Master's Student Commencement was held August 10 at the Bartow Arena. During the summer, approximately 1,125 students earned graduate degrees, including 98 doctoral degrees. The Graduate School would like to congratulate all of the Summer 2018 graduates!

The word “survivor” means many things to many people, but for 24-year-old Rashad Hayes it’s one more opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life.

The Spring 2018 UAB Doctoral Hooding Ceremony and Master's Student Commencement was held April 27 at the Bartow Arena. During the spring, 778 degrees were conferred, including 90 certificates, 607 masters/ EdS degrees, and 81 doctoral degrees. The Graduate School would like to congratulate all of the Spring 2018 graduates!