Etikala named Ms. UAB; Ramesh and Khodanian are first alternates
Bob Jones High School alumni landed notoriety during homecoming week at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
Ms. UAB Deepa Etikala and Mr. UAB Kevin Jiang
Deepa Etikala of Madison was named Ms. UAB 2012 during UAB homecoming game festivities on Oct. 6 at Legion Field. Madison was guaranteed a winner with Karla Khodanian as first alternate to Ms. UAB and Tushar Ramesh first alternate to Mr. UAB. All three are juniors.
Etikala received a $2,500 scholarship and will represent UAB at university functions. Khodanian and Ramesh each received a $1,000 scholarship.
Hannah Bowers of Madison, a junior majoring in Spanish and biology with plans for pre-med, also was a finalist.
The UAB National Alumni Society sponsors the Mr. and Ms. UAB Scholarship Competition, UAB publicist Shannon Thomason said. Founded 31 years ago, the program recognizes outstanding students who have demonstrated scholastic achievement, leadership, campus and community involvement and overall enthusiasm for UAB.
Etikala is majoring in neuroscience. She holds membership in the University Honors Program and UAB TrailBlazers leadership team. Etikala serves as a UAB international mentor and volunteer with the Birmingham Crisis Center. Her parents are Sandya and Devender Etikala.
Ramesh’s major is biomedical engineering. He is a UAB Presidential Scholarship recipient, supplemental instruction leader, president of the Biomedical Engineering Society Student Chapter and volunteer with Evercare Hospice. His parents are Gopal and Anu Ramesh.
Khodanian planned UAB’s first “Blazing on the Green” fall concert. Her major is communication studies with a specialization in public relations.
Khodanian was awarded the Golden Excellence Academic Scholarship. She serves as committee chair for Student Life’s Blaze Productions and webmaster for the campus public relations executive board. Her parents are Gary and Fay Khodanian.
Bowers is a member of the University Honors Program, UAB Ambassadors, president of Global Cafe and recipient of a Charles W. Ireland Presidential Scholarship. Her parents are Glenn and Teresa Bowers.
Kevin Jiang of Mountain Brook has named Mr. UAB.
UAB is Alabama’s largest single-site employer with an annual economic impact exceeding $5 billion. For four consecutive years, “The Princeton Review” listed UAB among the top 10 universities nationally for diversity. For more information, visit uab.edu.
