Alumni News

Darcey D’Amato recently took a job as a systems engineer in the aerospace division at Boeing. Her advice to students preparing for a job search: “I tell everybody: Go to conferences. Go to career fairs. Talk to recruiters.”

Career Launch
July 22, 2021

Satellite projects at South helped an engineering graduate land an internship with the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab and a position with Boeing in Seattle. #MyFirstJob ...

Kyle Samuel gained a great deal of sports broadcasting experience, working on Jag TV and ESPN+ productions, while a student at the University of South Alabama.

Racing Start
July 13, 2021

A South graduate uses his college broadcasting experience to land a job doing graphics and editing for NASCAR coverage at Fox Sports 1. #MyFirstJob ...

Merritt McCall's duties with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources include building, seeding and monitoring oyster beds in state waters. she recently earned her master's degree in marine science from the University of South Alabama.

The World Is Her Oyster
July 1, 2021

Marine scientist Merritt McCall turns her experience at South and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab into a fisheries job with the state of Mississippi. #MyFirstJob ...

Taylor Dicker, a graduate of the University of South Alabama School of Computing, moved from an internship to fulltime employment and now works from home, which he says fits his style. At his job at TruBridge, Dicker is getting a diversity of experience.

From 'Willing Intern' to New Hire
June 22, 2021

Taylor Dicker, who was named outstanding undergraduate in the School of Computing, begins his career as a system administrator. One of his secrets? 'I was always the one with my hand up.' #MyFirstJob ...

Broderick Morrissette was a graduate assistant in the University of South Alabama Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, where he has started as its first Campus to Career coordinator.

'We Have Expectations for You'
June 14, 2021

Broderick Morrissette was inspired by his grandmother. Two degrees later, he's helping others achieve their goals as South's Campus to Career coordinator. #MyFirstJob ...

Katelyn Cowie said an entry level accounting course, along with an internship at Horton, Lee, Burnett, Peacock, Cleveland and Grainger, helped launch the course of her professional career.

Return on Investment
June 7, 2021

After four years at South, where she ran cross country, worked as a tutor and ambitiously pursued what became an eventful internship, Katelyn Cowie begins a career in accounting. #MyFirstJob ...

Navy Rear Admiral Gayle Shaffer, a 1987 biology graduate of the University of South Alabama, is the first dentist to serve as Deputy Surgeon General.

Setting Sail from South
May 20, 2021

Rear Admiral Gayle Shaffer, a 1987 biology graduate, went on to join the Navy, travel the world and become the first dentist to serve as deputy surgeon general. “It’s not every day you have a sorority sister who’s an admiral, right? ...

Civil rights activist and native Mobilian Bob Zellner will speak at the University of South Alabama about his life’s work of fighting for justice in the freedom movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mrs. Rosa Parks and many others.

Civil Rights Legend to Speak at the MacQueen Center
April 22, 2021

Prominent civil rights activist Bob Zellner, a native of Mobile, will speak at the University of South Alabama April 28th, 2021. ...

Tara Keech, a 2006 graduate of the University of South Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, is the founder of Tarah Keech Coaching, which is focused on helping professionals overcome the challenges of insecurity, anxiety and stress.

Coaching Others to Balance and Reignite
April 12, 2021

Tarah Keech, who earned a psychology degree from South, had to learn to refocus from burnout. Now she's made it her life's work to help other professionals manage challenges of insecurity, anxiety and stress. ...

Port City Pups owner Bailey Duos, who graduated from South’s entrepreneur program last year, had to adjust expectations when dog boarding dried up during the pandemic. “I definitely matured really fast. I’m a little more careful now,” she said.

'A Year That Won't Soon Be Forgotten'
April 1, 2021

South business graduates and professors describe how a crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic drives companies and nonprofits to leave their comfort zones, manage disruption and look for new growth opportunities. ...

Healthcare CEO Learned Flexibility at South
March 26, 2021

Wilson Thomas studied management and political science for a degree in interdisciplinary studies. His career in hospital administration now includes managing coronavirus care and administering vaccines. ...

With Mardi Gras canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, South alumnae Suzanne Sarver, left, and Courtney Harris, right, joined with Mitchell College of Business Ph.D. student Stacy Wellborn to begin the Mobile Porch Parade. Wellborn's home features monsters from the children’s book, “Where the Wild Things Are.”

South Graduates Lead Mobile Porch Parade
February 13, 2021

With Mardi Gras parades canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, two alumnae and a Ph.D. candidate find a new way to celebrate the Carnival season. ...

2020 Mobile County Public Schools Teachers of the Year. From L-R; Anna Mouton, Clark-Shaw School of Math, Science and Technology. Julie Neidhardt, Hutchens Elementary School. Deborah Pippen, Citronelle High School.

South Alumnae named Teachers of the Year
February 9, 2021

A trio of women, who earned degrees from South have now been named the best of the best in the Mobile County Public Schools. ...

Terrance Smith stands in front of a house on Virginia Street that's being renovated through the work of the Mobile Innovation Team, a project funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The home at one point was used by Mobile's Pollman family as a kitchen for their bakery before they opened the nearby Pollman's Bake Shop, said Smith, the innovation team director and a University of South Alabama graduate.

South Graduate Leads Mobile Innovation Team
February 1, 2021

Growing up in public housing, Terrance Smith now sits in the mayor's suite on the 10th floor of Government Plaza. There, he is earning a reputation as a skilled problem solver. ...