By Bria Morgan
Five individuals and one student organization were honored with the 2023 President’s Diversity Champion Award during a ceremony at the UAB Alumni House March 2.
The annual award, sponsored by the Office of the President and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, recognizes employees, students and organizations that have helped create a more culturally diverse, inclusive university community through their achievements. Nominations are solicited from the UAB community for all categories, and awards are given in several categories for projects or activities that best reflect the implementation of unit and/or campus diversity goals.
The 2023 recipients are Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif, Ph.D., assistant professor of higher education and interim director of the Office of Professional Studies and Experimental Learning; Sharifa Wip, assistant director of Student Multicultural and Diversity Programs; Elliot Botelho, a medical and clinical psychology doctoral student; Yancey Williams II, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering; the Blazer Male Excellence Network; and Greg Parsons, Chief Facilities Officer and associate vice president.
Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif
Bodine Al-Sharif, known to her students as “Dr. BAS,” currently serves as an assistant professor of higher education in the School of Education and as interim director of the Office of Professional Studies and Experiential Learning (OPSEL) for the Graduate School. In addition, she recently was appointed associate scientist for the Social Science and Justice Research Program at UAB. Her prior work experience includes serving as a visiting assistant professor of higher education in the College of Education at Texas Tech University and working for more than a decade as an administrator in student affairs and enrollment management positions in Oklahoma, Missouri and Florida.
As a researcher, Bodine Al-Sharif focuses on student identity development, global movements in higher education, international education and issues of social justice and advocacy within higher education. Specifically, she explores the lives of students who define themselves as living between worlds across issues of ability, race, religion, ethnicity, gender expression and the like. As a critical qualitative researcher, she intentionally seeks to engage in research that focuses on critical sociological, philosophical, historical, political and/or cultural perspectives. She is passionate about her research and has provided insight into the unique experiences of minoritized and marginalized populations in higher education both in the United States and abroad.
Sharifa Wip
Wip serves as the assistant director and advisor of the Blazer Male Excellence Network (BMEN) in the Office of Student Multicultural and Diversity Programs. She earned her bachelor of in African American Studies and communications and television broadcasting and her master’s in information engineering management at UAB. Prior to working at UAB, her work experience included various roles in communications, television news, public relations and event consultation.
In 2008, she began working with the Blazer Male Excellence Network, a peer mentoring program that provides academic and social support to Black male students. While serving in Student Multicultural and Diversity Programs, she has advised several other student organizations that include the Black Student Awareness Committee, International Mentors and National Pan-Hellenic Council. She is passionate about serving diverse students and committed to fostering inclusive spaces for underrepresented student groups to find belonging and support.
Wip is the proud daughter of Surinamese parents, Irene and Marcel Wip. She and sister Charity credit their work ethic and drive to excellence to the example of their family and strive to leave a legacy of servant leadership. In their free time, they enjoy traveling the world together as “WIP Around the World” and have climbed both Mt. Kilimanjaro and Machu Picchu.
Elliot Botelho
Botelho is a second-year student in the Medical/Clinical Psychology doctoral program, working in the lab of Caitlin Clevenger, Ph.D. Their research focuses on understanding and improving the experiences of transgender and non-binary people and those who occupy multiple minority identities while seeking health care; facilitating culturally competent preventative HIV/ AIDS care for these populations; and exploring the impact and development of eating disorders in transgender people. Their master’s thesis is titled “Eating Disorder Symptoms in Transgender Adults: Examining the Impact of Gender Dysphoria and Minority Stress on Eating Disorder Symptomatology.”
Outside of their personal research, they collaborate on community-partnered TRUST Lab research projects to study suicidality, palliative care experiences for transgender individuals and substance use. They also serve as a primary research mentor to undergraduate research assistants within the lab, structuring professional development opportunities and training regarding best research practices. Through collaboration with the TRUST Lab, Botelho has developed a series of training modules to provide new staff with best practices for working with the transgender community in research.
Yancey Williams II
Growing up in Birmingham, Williams was excited to attend UAB and to become involved in student life on campus. Throughout his undergraduate career, his academic excellence and continued involvement provided him with the opportunity to serve as vice president of the biomedical engineering society and engage in collaborative research while studying aboard in Antarctica. He is also involved in the Blazer Male Excellence Network (BMEN) Peer Mentoring Program. As a student in BMEN, Williams has been able to engage with other young Black men who share experiences of being Black male students and are equally devoted to academic and professional success.
In addition to being a student and member of BMEN and the Honors College, Williams has served with the Spirit of Luke Ministry to provide health care to underserved communities in the Black Belt of Alabama. He will graduate from UAB in spring 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and will begin medical school to pursue a doctorate in medicine and philosophy in fall 2023. He is determined to succeed and is passionate about being a resource to the community to provide others with opportunities to continue the cycle of excellence
Blazer Male Excellence Network
The BMEN Peer Mentoring Program (BMEN) is designed to provide academic and social support to Black male students entering UAB. BMEN’s overall goal is to improve the quality of life for the new student by partnering a returning student with a new student, and by staff providing information on navigating the collegiate experience inside and outside the classroom. Program mentors are selected each spring and go through extensive training to offer the best service and mentorship possible.
Nationally, Black males have the lowest retention rate of any group on most college campuses. The BMEN Peer Mentoring Program serves to connect Black males to the University and help them successfully transition to UAB.
Greg Parsons
Parsons earned his bachelor's in architecture and building construction at Auburn University and a certificate in public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is a registered architect and LEED Green Associate. In 2014, he joined the UAB Facilities team as assistant vice president for planning design and construction and was named associate vice president and chief facilities officer in 2019. The Facilities team manages the operations and maintenance of the campus and is also responsible for long-range planning, design and construction of all capital projects.
For more than five years, Parsons worked in private practice, providing architectural services to federal, state, higher education and K-12 clients. Prior to joining UAB, he served as university architect at Auburn University.
