Alumni

""2018 Distinguished Young Alumni Award winner Ashley Jones.

Our alumni have gone on to work in all kinds of different fields. They are pediatricians, transit engineers, video game designers, publicists, technical writers, corporate executives, teachers, lawyers, speech pathologists, stockbrokers, university administrators, military officers, non-profit directors, and ministers. And in these and many other fields, they have distinguished themselves by their critical thinking, commitment, and creativity.

We invite all of our alumni to stay in touch with us—we love hearing about the great things that happen once people leave this department and put their degrees to work in the world. Do you want to become involved in the department? We welcome your ideas and participation! Or perhaps you would like to know how to donate to this department and help support its mission. You can contact us through email or phone, or tell us what you’ve been doing through this website.


  • Shelby Morris
  • Jeff Hodges
  • Marie Sutton
  • Luke Richey
  • Beth Shelburne
  • Rebekah Kummer
  • Amy Roberts
  • Jay Haywood
  • Ashley Jones
  • Jason Aaron

  • Alumni Spotlight

    Shelby Morris

    Shelby Morris earned her B.A. in Professional Writing with a minor in Spanish in 2016 followed by an M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition in 2018. She is currently attending law school at Samford University, Cumberland School of Law. Read more about Shelby.

  • Alumni Spotlight

    Jeff Hodges

    Words matter. No one knows that better than alumnus Jeff Hodges who has made a career out of helping others, most recently in his role as Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion Talent Program Manager for Regions Bank. Read more about Jeff.

  • Alumni Spotlight

    Marie Sutton

    By day, Marie Sutton is the Director of Marketing and Communication for the Division of Student Affairs at UAB. By night, she is a writer whose passion is telling stories about the African-American experience. Read more about Marie.

  • Alumni Spotlight

    Luke Richey

    Luke Richey is a Copywriter and Content Strategist at McNutt & Partners, LLC, a local ad agency, where he drafts copy for multiple clients on a myriad of social media platforms. Read more about Luke.

  • Alumni Spotlight

    Beth Shelburne

    Journalist and writer Beth Shelburne has been named one of 10 PEN America 2018 Writing for Justice fellows. Read more about Beth.

  • Alumni Spotlight

    Rebekah Kummer

    One month after graduation, Rebekah Kummer landed a job as a Technical Writer/Editor II at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. Read more about Rebekah.

  • Alumni Spotlight

    Amy Roberts

    Amy is the Communications Coordinator at Growing Kings, a non-profit providing school-based, group mentoring programs for at-risk males in Birmingham City Schools. Read more about Amy.

  • Alumni Spotlight

    Jay Haywood

    Jay is a Product Support Representative at Fidelity National Information Services. Read more about Jay.

  • Alumni Spotlight

    Ashley Jones

    Ashley is a poet who focuses on identity, history, civil rights, and gender. Read more about Ashley.

  • Alumni Spotlight

    Jason Aaron

    Jason writes for Marvel Comics on titles like Thor and The Avengers. Read more about Jason.