The Blazer Mentorship Collective is beginning the new academic year with a new model focused exclusively on first-year students.

Advised by Ahkeem Lee and Abby Huguley, the program previously served freshmen, sophomores and juniors. This year, the Collective has reorganized into three branches: First Forward, First Impact and First Blazers.

The Blazer Mentorship Collective is beginning the new academic year with a new model focused exclusively on first-year students.

Advised by Ahkeem Lee and Abby Huguley, the program previously served freshmen, sophomores and juniors. This year, the Collective has reorganized into three branches: First Forward, First Impact and First Blazers.

Each branch is designed to support students during their first year at UAB:

• First Blazers supports first-generation students as they build community, celebrate their strengths and chart their own path to success.
• First Forward empowers students from designated access and opportunity populations to build on their resilience, strengthen connections and expand opportunities for academic, personal and future success.
• First Impact connects students to community, leadership and service experiences that help them grow and make a difference.

The new model officially launched Sunday, Sept. 27, during the Collective’s third annual Mentor-Mentee Match Ceremony held in the Hill Student Center ballrooms. The event welcomed 134 first-year mentees and paired them with upperclassmen mentors who will provide guidance and encouragement throughout the academic year.

The mentor-mentee relationships give first-year students an opportunity to learn from peers who have already experienced the transition to college. Mentors can help students navigate campus, discover resources and make the most of their UAB experience while building relationships that extend beyond the classroom.

The ceremony marks the beginning of another year for the Blazer Mentorship Collective and its work to help first-year students establish a strong foundation at UAB.