Mr. and Ms. UAB 2024 with UAB President Ray WattsRakshith Ramdas of Johns Creek, Georgia, and Samanvi Vootukuri of Madison, Alabama, are the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s new Mr. and Ms. UAB for 2025.
The Mr. and Ms. UAB Scholarship Competition, one of UAB’s longest-standing and most cherished traditions, is presented by the UAB National Alumni Society. For 44 years, this competition has highlighted UAB students who excel in academics, leadership and community involvement, all while showing true Blazer spirit.
The new Mr. and Ms. UAB Scholarship Competition winners were announced Saturday during halftime of the UAB Football Homecoming game at Protective Stadium. These exceptional students will each receive $2,500 scholarships and serve as ambassadors of UAB for the coming year and as leaders of the UAB Future Blazers Alumni.
First alternates in the competition are Samir Abouhaidar of Hoover, Alabama, and Isabel Blevins of Huntsville, Alabama, who will each receive $1,000 scholarships.
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.
Ramdas, 20, is a junior political science major in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a UAB Ambassador and Honors Ambassador in the Honors College where he is in the Global and Community Leadership Honors Program. Ramdas is on a Presidential Merit Scholarship and on the President’s list and was the 2023-2024 USGA Outstanding Judicial Member of the Year. He has volunteered with Community Food Bank of Central Alabama and the Learning Excellence Through Tennis Program. His parents are Ramdas Krishnappa and Ramadevi Ramdas.
Vootukuri, 20, of Madison, Alabama, is a junior neuroscience major working on her Master of Business Administration degree. She is in the Honors College’s University Honors Program and the Early Medical School Acceptance Program, is on the President’s list, and is a UAB Trailblazer. Vootukuri is in Hindu Youth for Unity, Virtues and Actions, in the USGA, and volunteers with Early Access Birmingham and Glen Iris Tutoring. Her parents are Ravikanth Vootukuri and Suneetha Vootukuri.
First alternates Samir Abouhaidar and Isabel BlevinsAbouhaidar, 20, is a junior economics major from Hoover, Alabama. He is a two-time delegate to the Alabama Collegiate Legislature Conference and third-year member of the Honors College’s University Honors Program. Abouhaidar will study abroad during the fall 2024 Thanksgiving break in Denmark and Sweden with the Collat School of Business and received the Distinguished Alumni Scholarship from the National Alumni Society. He has volunteered with Blazer Kitchen and Into the Streets. His parents are Theresa Abouhaidar and Nagi Abouhaidar.
Blevins, 20, from Huntsville, Alabama, is a junior on a Personalized Path in the Honors College, a public health major, Spanish minor working on a Master of Public Health degree with a health policy concentration. She is a UAB Trailblazer, a member of Alpha Xi Delta and USGA, and a volunteer with Fiesta Birmingham and Birmingham AIDS Outreach. Her parents are Howard Blevins and Marlene Blevins.
The Mr. and Ms. UAB Finalists:
Alex Elizondo, 20, from Pisgah, Alabama, is a senior biomedical sciences major with minors in chemistry and secondary STEM education. He is a UAB Trailblazer, a Smith Scholar and the winner of a UAB Transfer Presidential Scholarship. Elizondo is a tutor for the Alabama Rural Learning Accelerator, recipient of a NASA Space Grant and Transfer Student Outreach coordinator. His parents are Amanda Elizondo and Gabriel Elizondo.
Rylan Morris, 20, is a sophomore public health major from Huntsville, Alabama. She is a member of the UAB Green Team and recipient of the Meena Dayla Memorial Scholarship and the UAB Provost Scholarship. She has been a member of Alpha Gamma Delta since 2023 as well as the Pre-Dental Society and, most recently, the Order of Omega. Morris is a UAB Green Team member and was in the Dance Marathon and UAB Best Buddies. Her parents are Kevin and Templa Morris.
Sathvik Bodepudi, 20, is a junior neuroscience major from Greenville, South Carolina, who is in the Honors College’s Science and Technology Honors Program. He earned the UAB SIL Award for Distinguished Integrity and is on a UAB Presidential Honors Fellowship and the President’s list. Bodepudi is a volunteer at Traveler’s Aid, the Community Foodbank of Alabama and Blazer Kitchen. His campus activities include First Impact and USGA. His parents are Surendra Bodepudi and Sreedevi Bodepudi.
Olivia Burchfield, 21, from Laurel, Mississippi, is a junior public health major in the Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s MPH program. She is a UAB Trailblazer, is in the Honors College Global and Community Leadership Honors Program, is vice president of Campus Relations in Alpha Gamma Delta and is a School of Public Health Ambassador. Burchfield tutors with STAIR Birmingham. Her parents are Scott and Jennifer Sumrall.
Saad Khan, 20, from Montgomery, Alabama, is a junior neuroscience major in the Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Science program. Khan is an Honors Ambassador for the UAB Honors College where he is in the Science and Technology Honors Program. He is the Outreach coordinator for the Muslim Student Association and head of the College of Arts and Sciences Caucus in the USGA. Khan is a student researcher in the Constraint-Induced Cognitive Therapy Research Group and was USGA Senate Member of the Year 2023-2024 His parents are Khalid Khan and Ozma Bari.
Sydney Testman, 20, from Atlanta, Georgia, is a junior political science major in the Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s MPA program and in the Honors College. She is on the President’s list and is a UAB Presidential Merit Scholarship recipient. Testman is executive vice president of USGA, treasurer of the Iota Phi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and a law intern with the UAB Academic Small Business Alliance, volunteers with Movement Against Education Inequity at UAB and is finance coordinator on the Social Justice Advocacy Council. She is the daughter of Valerie Testman and Anthony Testman.