Category: Collegian

Articles from the Collegian, the College’s magazine for alumni and donors


Extending a Helping Hand

Brand Elverston

From the 2021 Collegian | For Brand Elverston, going to The University of Alabama was the chance of a lifetime. Now, he wants to help other students have that chance through the Brand L. Elverston Endowed Eminent Scholarship in Criminal Justice. “My biggest desire is to help a student who wants to go to college, but maybe can’t afford it,” Elverston said. “I want to help the Brand Elverston of 2021.” Elverston graduated from UA in 1983, after transferring to […]

Read More from Extending a Helping Hand

A Legend’s Legacy

Two individuals looking at antique books

From the 2021 Collegian | When Carla Rountree recounts her childhood, she remembers her father’s floor-to-ceiling library, filled with novels, biographies, travel guides, and historical books. Her father, Dr. Thomas Rountree, served as UA’s creative writing program director from 1963 to 1971, before moving to the University of South Alabama to become chair of their English department.   But before he began his time as a faculty member and writer, he was a master’s student at UA, mentored by Hudson Strode. Strode, who began […]

Read More from A Legend’s Legacy

Levitetz Gives Back

Jeff Levitetz

From the 2021 Collegian | When Jeffrey Levitetz graduated from The University of Alabama, he left with a sense of determination, a dream, and a business he ran out of his car. Now, he returns to campus to share what he’s learned as a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist. Levitetz began his career while he was a New College student, where he sold surplus merchandise and other goods out of the trunk of his car to students and locals. This business, […]

Read More from Levitetz Gives Back

Being the Change

Brittany Hamner in her classroom

From the 2021 Collegian | When Brittany Hamner graduated from UA in May 2021, she walked across the stage prepared to take on the world. The 2020 Campbell-Portera Scholarship winner had spent the past four years learning all that she could, getting involved in multiple organizations on campus, and making memories that will last a lifetime.   Hamner, a Tuscaloosa native and first-generation college student, decided to go to UA to be close to her large, tight-knit family. UA gave her the opportunity […]

Read More from Being the Change

Finding Happiness

Jacqueline Trimble

From the 2021 Collegian | Dr. Jacqueline Trimble’s first impulse after learning to read was to write, so at the age of six, she wrote her first piece of work: a one-paragraph autobiography. Though she talks fondly of the memory now, her accomplishments assure she has much more to add. Trimble, who earned her masters and PhD at UA and serves as the chair of Alabama State University’s department of languages and literatures, was one of only 35 selected as […]

Read More from Finding Happiness

Making Her Mark

Caroline Yuk

From the 2021 Collegian | Caroline Yuk has always known she wanted to make a difference in the world.  COVID-19 brought many challenges to UA’s classrooms. For Yuk, a senior, it spurred a new challenge—figuring out how to learn all that she needed to when communication was muffled by cloth face covering and plexiglass—and an opportunity.  “I’m always thinking about how things can be better,” Yuk said. “How can things improve? And what ways can they? I think I’ve always had this mindset of wondering why we […]

Read More from Making Her Mark

Going with the Flow

Hurricane Creek

From the 2021 Collegian | In the heart of Tuscaloosa County, a small stream runs through the woods. Here, frogs hop from stone to stone, insects and butterflies flutter about, and water transports fish and other river dwellers downstream. Locals spend their days on the creek’s banks, swimming, hiking, and adventuring in their own backyard.   This stream is known as Hurricane Creek, a tributary of the Black Warrior River. A landmark to Tuscaloosa natives, Hurricane Creek has long been […]

Read More from Going with the Flow

Leaving a Legacy

Dr. Helen Delpar

From the 2020 Collegian | Those who knew long-time history professor Dr. Helen Delpar describe her as a character. Voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by her high school classmates, she never owned a car and instead walked to work nearly every day until she retired in her late 60s. Though she never married and enjoyed solitude, she loved the company of others and had a deep-seated drive to focus her intellect and abilities into not only improving herself, but also […]

Read More from Leaving a Legacy

Paying It Forward

Gordon-Palmer Hall surrounded by pink flowers

From the 2020 Collegian | “It was an interesting time to be at the University,” says Ed Braswell, a 1967 graduate. George Wallace’s famous “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” took place mere weeks before Braswell would arrive for freshman orientation. He was also a student during the tenures of three of his heroes—President Frank Rose; the legendary Colonel Carleton K. Butler, director of the Million Dollar Band; and Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. While at UA, Braswell studied math and played […]

Read More from Paying It Forward

Hats Off to the Graduates

Natasha Burrell

From the 2020 Collegian | We are so proud of all of our incredible 2020 Arts and Sciences graduates. To celebrate their resilience, ingenuity, and dedication to their education, we want to highlight a few of our newest alumni. Join us in congratulating the Class of 2020! Lota Erinne | English and Finance My Post-Graduate Plans: I’m currently proofreading for Grammarly and participating in a book editing mentorship, and next year I’ll be working as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant […]

Read More from Hats Off to the Graduates