Daniel Pierce of Raleigh, N.C., and Nishita (Na-Shee-ta) Baxi of Cordova, Tenn., were named Mr. and Ms. UAB 2010 during the University of Alabama at Birmingham Homecoming game festivities Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010, at Legion Field.
The top 10 nominees for Mr. and Ms. UAB were selected by an interview panel under the direction of the UAB National Alumni Society Board of Directors. A panel of six judges comprising alumni and friends and the UAB student body voted on the nominees Nov. 1-2. The Mr. and Ms. UAB Scholarship Competition is sponsored by the UAB National Alumni Society. Pierce and Baxi each won $1,500 scholarship prizes.
Pierce, 22, is a senior majoring in industrial distribution, medical track. He is a UAB Leadership Foundations graduate, president of the student spirit group Gang Green and the UAB Interfraternity Council and social chair of Delta Sigma Phi. Additionally, Pierce volunteered in Alternative Spring Break 2010 and was a site leader for Into the Streets, a community volunteer program. He is the son of Lynn and Perry Pierce of Raleigh, N.C.
Baxi, 20, is a junior majoring in psychology. She is a member of the University Honors Program and Order of Omega Greek Honor Society. She also is a UAB Trailblazer, senator and publicity chair for the UAB Undergraduate Student Government Association and a member of Alpha Omicron Pi. She has participated in Relay for Life and volunteered for the Arthritis Research Foundation. She is the daughter of Nikhil and Dipti Baxi of Cordova, Tenn.
The first alternates in the Mr. and Ms. UAB competition are William Bates, 20, a junior accounting/pre-dentistry double major from Huntsville, Ala., and MacKenzie Wilson, 20, a senior molecular biology major also from Huntsville.
The other finalists are:
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Shawn Barker, 20 of Cleveland, Ohio, junior, chemistry major
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Meghan McClain, 20, of New Martinsville, W.Va., junior, international studies major (pre-med)
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Alyssa Pennington, 20, of New Market, Ala., junior, health sciences major
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Bobby Sistani, 20, of Huntsville, Ala., junior, biology major
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Brent Taylor, 19, of Cullman, Ala., sophomore, secondary education major
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Stephanie Wilkins, 23, of Florence, Ala., senior, biology and psychology double major