Banks Stamp
Banks Stamp and Sumedha Bobba of Phenix City, Alabama, and Sumedha Bobba of Madison, Alabama, are the new Mr. and Ms. UAB 2022.
The winners were announced Saturday, Oct. 23, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Homecoming game. First alternates in the competition are Alex Hayes of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Ellie McDaniel of Lexington, Kentucky.
The Mr. and Ms. UAB Scholarship Competition is one of UAB’s longest-standing Homecoming traditions. Started in 1981, it is presented by the UAB National Alumni Society. Applicants for the competition must demonstrate a record of leadership and active participation in extracurricular activities. The 10 finalists were selected through an interview process, and the winners were chosen through an additional round of interviews and a student vote, held during Homecoming Week.
The winners will each receive $2,500 scholarships and serve as ambassadors of UAB and on the Student Alumni Society Leadership Council in the coming year. The first alternates will each receive $1,000 scholarships.
Stamp, 20, is a junior majoring in political science and public administration in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is in the UAB Honors College’s Personalized Path. Stamp earned a Udall Scholarship Honorable Mention and is the American Committees on Foreign Relations’ Birmingham representative for the 2021 Young Leaders Initiative. He is president of Sustain at UAB, president of College Democrats at UAB, and an active member in both the Indian Cultural Association and Chinese Society at UAB. He was a field organizer for Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin’s campaign this summer and is health policy ambassador for UAB Lister Hill Center for Health Policy. His parents are Jason and Amy Stamp.
Bobba, 19, is a sophomore in the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, majoring in neuroscience in the College of Arts and Sciences and business administration in the Collat School of Business. She is in the Honors College’s Personalized Path, is a Student Alumni Society representative and has been on the President’s List since the start of freshman year. Bobba is a UAB Trailblazer, is a member of Alpha Xi Delta and participates in undergraduate neurobiology research. She is a volunteer for Start the Adventure in Reading Birmingham, or STAIR, and for Blazer Kitchen. Her parents are Parameswara Bobba and Varalakshmi Bobba.
Hayes, 19, is a sophomore majoring in neuroscience and is in the Honors College’s Science and Technology Honors Program. He is a winner of the Outstanding General Chemistry Award, given to the top 2 percent of students, and was on the President’s List both semesters of freshman year. He is an orientation leader for the UAB Center for Outreach and Development, a Race21 Scholar, and service and outreach coordinator for the Undergraduate Neuroscience Society. Hayes has volunteered for a Best Buddies Orientation Leader service project and Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. His parents are Trena Brown and Ramsey Bowman.
McDaniel 20, a junior majoring in forensic accounting, is in the Honors College’s University Honors Program. She has appeared on the UAB Presidential Honors List four times and is a recipient of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Scholarship. She is a resident assistant in Blazer Hall, tutor and mentor for student athletes, and a former orientation leader. McDaniel volunteers at Blazer Kitchen and is a peer mentor with the University Honors Peer Mentor Program. Her parents are Mike and Karen McDaniel.
Alex Hayes and Ellie McDanielThe Mr. and Ms. UAB finalists are:
Kyle Adams, 19, of Montgomery, Alabama, is a sophomore majoring in political science with a concentration in American government. He is in the Honors College’s Personalized Path, is on the Dean’s List and received the Collegiate Honors Scholarship. He is in the Undergraduate Student Government Association and the Peer Wellness Ambassadors and is a UAB Trailblazer. Adams is a volunteer for YMCA Youth in Government and Hearts for the Homeless. His parents are Robert Adams and Titania Adams, DNP.
Bailey Anderson, 20, of Dothan, Alabama, is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering. Anderson is in the Honors College’s Personalized Path, has been on the Presidential Honors List all semesters and won the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. He is a UAB Trailblazer, a UAB Ambassador and a teaching assistant in the Department of Chemistry. Anderson is a volunteer for Southeast Health and a hospice patient support volunteer. His parents are Todd Anderson and Kristie Anderson.
Trent Davis, 21, of Corner, Alabama, is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering. Davis was named to the Dean’s List or President’s List every semester and was awarded the Conference USA Commissioner’s academic medal. Davis is a member of the UAB Football team and has participated in community service projects with the team. He participates in Reformed University Fellowship and serves as a leader in the Church at Brook Hills college group. His parents are Greg and Sandi Davis.
Mary Gilmore, 21, is a junior from Helena, Alabama, majoring in public health in the UAB School of Public Health. She is in the Honors College’s Global and Community Leadership Program and has been on the Presidential Honors list since fall 2019. Gilmore is a Trailblazer and on the Trailblazer Leadership Team, a sister of Alpha Xi Delta and health policy ambassador through the Lister Hill Center for Health Policy. She is a student assistant with the UAB Center for the Study of Community Health and a member of Dance Marathon at UAB, benefiting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Her mother is Kristi Gilmore.
Skylar Jones, 20, of Hoover, is a junior in the UAB School of Nursing. She is on the UAB Dean’s List and is a recipient of the UAB Academic Achievement Scholarship. She is a CORD orientation leader and is on the Ransom Student Ministry Black Student Awareness Committee. Jones has volunteered for Children’s of Alabama and the MLK Beloved Community Service Project. Her parents are Charles Jones and Taryn Jones.
Ritika Samant, 21, a junior from Vestavia Hills, Alabama, majors in neuroscience. She is in the Honors College’s University Honors Program and is a recipient of the UAB Emerging Leaders Scholarship, the EDUCAUSE Rising Star Award and the Patsy W. Collat Endowed Scholarship. Samant is president of Active Minds, vice president of Student Services in the Undergraduate Student Government Association and a member of UAB Ambassadors. She is a public health volunteer at the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and a STAIR second grade reading tutor. Her parents are Lalita Samant and Rajeev Samant.