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Alumni News Archive

  • Broderick Morrissette was a graduate assistant in the University of South Alabama Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, where he has started as its first Campus to Career coordinator.

    'We Have Expectations for You'
    June 14, 2021

    Broderick Morrissette was inspired by his grandmother. Two degrees later, he's helping others achieve their goals as South's Campus to Career coordinator. #MyFirstJob ...
  • Katelyn Cowie said an entry level accounting course, along with an internship at Horton, Lee, Burnett, Peacock, Cleveland and Grainger, helped launch the course of her professional career.

    Return on Investment
    June 7, 2021

    After four years at South, where she ran cross country, worked as a tutor and ambitiously pursued what became an eventful internship, Katelyn Cowie begins a career in accounting. #MyFirstJob ...
  • Navy Rear Admiral Gayle Shaffer, a 1987 biology graduate of the University of South Alabama, is the first dentist to serve as Deputy Surgeon General.

    Setting Sail from South
    May 20, 2021

    Rear Admiral Gayle Shaffer, a 1987 biology graduate, went on to join the Navy, travel the world and become the first dentist to serve as deputy surgeon general. “It’s not every day you have a sorority sister who’s an admiral, right? ...
  • Civil rights activist and native Mobilian Bob Zellner will speak at the University of South Alabama about his life’s work of fighting for justice in the freedom movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mrs. Rosa Parks and many others.

    Civil Rights Legend to Speak at the MacQueen Center
    April 22, 2021

    Prominent civil rights activist Bob Zellner, a native of Mobile, will speak at the University of South Alabama April 28th, 2021. ...
  • Tara Keech, a 2006 graduate of the University of South Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, is the founder of Tarah Keech Coaching, which is focused on helping professionals overcome the challenges of insecurity, anxiety and stress.

    Coaching Others to Balance and Reignite
    April 12, 2021

    Tarah Keech, who earned a psychology degree from South, had to learn to refocus from burnout. Now she's made it her life's work to help other professionals manage challenges of insecurity, anxiety and stress. ...
  • Port City Pups owner Bailey Duos, who graduated from South’s entrepreneur program last year, had to adjust expectations when dog boarding dried up during the pandemic. “I definitely matured really fast. I’m a little more careful now,” she said.

    'A Year That Won't Soon Be Forgotten'
    April 1, 2021

    South business graduates and professors describe how a crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic drives companies and nonprofits to leave their comfort zones, manage disruption and look for new growth opportunities. ...
  • Wilson Thomas studied management and political science for a degree in interdisciplinary studies. His career in hospital administration now includes managing coronavirus care and administering vaccines.

    Healthcare CEO Learned Flexibility at South
    March 26, 2021

    Wilson Thomas studied management and political science for a degree in interdisciplinary studies. His career in hospital administration now includes managing coronavirus care and administering vaccines. ...
  • With Mardi Gras canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, South alumnae Suzanne Sarver, left, and Courtney Harris, right, joined with Mitchell College of Business Ph.D. student Stacy Wellborn to begin the Mobile Porch Parade. Wellborn's home features monsters from the children’s book, “Where the Wild Things Are.”

    South Graduates Lead Mobile Porch Parade
    February 13, 2021

    With Mardi Gras parades canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, two alumnae and a Ph.D. candidate find a new way to celebrate the Carnival season. ...
  • 2020 Mobile County Public Schools Teachers of the Year. From L-R; Anna Mouton, Clark-Shaw School of Math, Science and Technology. Julie Neidhardt, Hutchens Elementary School. Deborah Pippen, Citronelle High School.

    South Alumnae named Teachers of the Year
    February 9, 2021

    A trio of women, who earned degrees from South have now been named the best of the best in the Mobile County Public Schools. ...
  • Terrance Smith stands in front of a house on Virginia Street that's being renovated through the work of the Mobile Innovation Team, a project funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The home at one point was used by Mobile's Pollman family as a kitchen for their bakery before they opened the nearby Pollman's Bake Shop, said Smith, the innovation team director and a University of South Alabama graduate.

    South Graduate Leads Mobile Innovation Team
    February 1, 2021

    Growing up in public housing, Terrance Smith now sits in the mayor's suite on the 10th floor of Government Plaza. There, he is earning a reputation as a skilled problem solver. ...
  • Les’Lee Gilberry, left, and Cassandra Kellum were inspired to start a pair of annual scholarships for student-athletes at South. The awards will be called SWAG, short for Student With Athletic Grit.

    On a Fast Track to Giving Back
    December 29, 2020

    Former USA runners Cassandra Kellum and Les'Lee Gilberry get a jump start on two scholarships to support student-athletes. ...
  • Briana Morris, the Sun Belt Conference's 2019-20 Female Student-Athlete of the Year, is scheduled to play in the spring 2021 season for Danish soccer team Aarhus Gymnastikforening Kvindefodbold, more commonly known as AGF. Photo courtesy of Briana Morris.

    From South Alabama to Scandinavia
    December 18, 2020

    Accounting graduate student, alumna and student-athlete of the year Briana Morris readies to take the field in Denmark. ...
  • Since 1998, the University and USA Health have raised over $5.5 million for the United Way of Southwest Alabama through its annual campaign.

    Annual Campaign Raises $224,316 for United Way
    December 16, 2020

    More than 1,700 University of South Alabama and USA Health employees and retirees contribute to the United Way annual campaign. ...
  • Former South student Benjamin Pelham outside of his trailer on the set of the film "Embattled."

    Playing the Role of Trailblazer
    December 8, 2020

    Former PASSAGE USA student Benjamin Pelham continues to overcome challenges and appears in the film ‘Embattled.’ ...
  • Jake and Pat Gosa pledged $5 million to the University of South Alabama. The gift will be split between the Mitchell College of Business and the College of Nursing.

    Gosa Family Makes $5 Million Gift
    December 3, 2020

    The donation from Jake and Pat Gosa will be split between the Mitchell College of Business and the College of Nursing. ...
  • Bailey Trout Stephenson, a 2018 graduate of the University of South Alabama College of Nursing, worked in a Brooklyn hospital in the spring, taking care of COVID-19 patients in an intensive care unit. The work, like the virus, could be unforgiving. “I was there to help save the life of each patient I cared for, and that didn’t happen,” she said.

    At Their Bedsides With Care, Compassion
    November 30, 2020

    College of Nursing graduate Bailey Trout Stephenson confronted the pandemic in a New York hospital. The battle continued at home. ...
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    $160.9 Million Raised in Upward & Onward
    November 19, 2020

    South exceeds fundraising goal with more than 23,000 donations to support academics, research, athletics and healthcare. ...
  • University of South Alabama Police Officer Roy Mendenhall, sitting in front of the Humanities Building where he once took classes, earned a degree in criminal justice in 2016. He's one of three officers at South who graduated from the University that same year.

    Now in Boots, He Walked in Students' Shoes
    November 9, 2020

    Roy Mendenhall, like most officers in the USA Police Department, graduated from South. He found a career, and a wider world. ...
  • Nila Clardy took part in South's first commencement in 1967, beginning a long family connection with the University.

    A Jaguar Legacy
    November 2, 2020

    A move to Mobile changed Nila Clardy's college plans and began a generational connection to the University of South Alabama. ...
  • 2009 South graduate, Jaysum Hunter completed a 21-day, 1,000-mile bike ride from his home in Chicago to his hometown of Mobile.

    The Ride of a Lifetime
    October 26, 2020

    Looking to inspire others, South alumnus Jaysum Hunter put his career on temporary hold to take an epic bicycle journey. ...
  • David K. Akridge, chief information officer for the Mobile County Public School System, said support from faculty, determination and a music scholarship led to his degree in computer and information sciences from the University of South Alabama.

    An Eye for Coding, A Voice for a Scholarship
    October 19, 2020

    New technology in the 80s intrigued David Akridge, a chief of information officer who sang his way through college. ...
  • Kayla Brown's devotion to service and giving back to her community has carried over from her time at South to her new career in the medical field.

    Making a Career of Helping Others
    October 1, 2020

    2020 graduate Kayla Brown remains connected to South by starting her career at USA Health's Franklin Medical Center in Loxley. ...
  • 2020 USA Faculty Excellence Award Winners. Top row, L-R: Dr. Christy West, Angela O'Neal. Bottom row, L-R: Dr. Natalie Gassman, Dr. Joseph Hair, Dr. Lesley Gregoricka.

    USA National Alumni Association Recognizes Outstanding Faculty, Young Alumnus
    September 11, 2020

    Five USA faculty members were recognized for their achievements as well as one outstanding young alumnus honored for 2020. ...
  • The USA-United Way campaign leadership team.

    United Way Honors USA for Giving
    September 2, 2020

    The United Way of Southwest Alabama will honor USA for its devotion to volunteerism and winning a Heart of Gold award. ...
  • William DeMouy called the principal at Grand Bay Middle School the day he saw the job opening for a teacher. He interviewed the next morning. “I was thrilled. I was like, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s go for it.’”

    A Second Bachelor's, A Second Start
    August 4, 2020

    #MyFirstJob: William DeMouy finds his place in the classroom as the geography and civics teacher embarks on a new career. ...