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.

The Black Graduate Student Association was founded on UAB's campus in 1993. Since its inception, the BGSA has been dedicated to serving local Birmingham communities and the student population at UAB. Our organization is dedicated to the pursuit of academic excellence and social awareness with respect to minorities at UAB. The experience of being black in America and a graduate student is a unique one and can be isolating. The BGSA provides a support system to help retain black graduate students and prepare them for the post-graduation transition.

The Association of Indian Students at UAB’s goal is to assist the Indian student community at UAB while also promoting the Indian culture and heritage.

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.

UAB Graduate School hosted its 2018 3 Minute Thesis competition Oct. 16 at the Hill Student Center Alumni Theater. There were 10 finalists in the Doctoral and three finalists in the Master’s competition. After much deliberation, the judges selected the top two competitors for the Master's and the top two for the Doctoral. The third place, or People's Choice, was chosen by the audience.

The Graduate School hosted its 3MT Semifinals Tuesday, October 9, at the Hill Student Center. There were 26 semifinalists and 10 of those will advance to the 3MT Finals next week for one last chance to win $1,000 and a spot in the Regional Competition.

More than 50 doctoral students participated in the 2018 3 Minute Thesis preliminary competition October 2 in the Hill Student Center, and more than half of those students will advance to the semi-finals next week.

The "Meet Your Student Leaders" series provides graduate students and postdoctoral fellows an opportunity to get to know the students who run the various graduate student organizations at UAB.

The "Meet Your Student Leaders" series provides graduate students and postdoctoral fellows an opportunity to get to know the students who run the various graduate student organizations at UAB.

UAB Center for Exercise Medicine (UCEM) will host its 6th Annual Symposium on Sept. 21 at the Hill Student Center Ballroom. As a pre-symposium event, the center will conduct a Science Communication Workshop on Sept. 20 at the Hill Student Center Theater. The symposium will feature keynote speakers Dr. Alex Hutchinson, physicist, author and journalist from Toronto, Canada, and Dr. Fabrisia Ambrosio, Associate Professor of the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh and Director of Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center International. It will also feature UAB experts from various fields.