UAB IT employees who worked at and volunteered for The World Games 2022 helped serve as ambassadors for Birmingham as the city hosted the international event. 

“I feel like my biggest accomplishment was helping an Australian couple find the soccer arena and escorting a squash official to the Rec Center,” said Chuck White, interim executive director for network operations.  

White is being modest — his team helped provide the WiFi network on campus as well as backup services for World Games headquarters. His team worked closely with The World Games 2022 venues to keep up with any issues during their ele11ven days in the city. He stepped up and took charge for a brief period. He dealt with emergency inspections, and helped improve on-campus emergency phones before the Games began.  

Reggie Hill, a Desktop Services supervisor, has been a dedicated volunteer for more than 30 years with The International Camporee service group. Being able to volunteer for The World Games was a “once in a lifetime event,” he said.  

Hill originally signed up to volunteer in October. At The World Games, he volunteered at eight venues and did whatever was needed of him. Mostly he found himself helping athletes with anything they needed.  

“I got to be part of the opening and closing ceremonies. I was able to carry out the Afghanistan flag for the opening ceremony. It was an amazing experience,” Hill said.  

Vineesh Konda, a database administrator in UAB IT, applied through UAB to volunteer. Konda did not want to miss out on the experience.  

“I volunteered at the Hoover Met for softball as a ticket scanner,” Konda said. “This is the first time ever that I am volunteering here in the USA and I loved the experience. It's an immense satisfaction being able to contribute to a mega event like this hosted by the city.”