Bryan Preer II, Abby Kulkarni from Madison crowned Mr. and Ms. UAB

MADISON – Madison students have claimed the top honors for the student population at the University of Alabama at Birmingham or UAB.

Bryan Preer II and Abby Kulkarni, both from Madison, were crowned recently as Mr. and Ms. UAB for 2026.

The UAB National Alumni Society presents the Mr. and Ms. UAB Scholarship Competition, one of UAB’s longest- standing and most cherished traditions. For 45 years, this competition has highlighted UAB students who excel in academics, leadership and community involvement, all while showing true UAB Blazer spirit.

Preer and Kulkarni’s honors were announced during halftime of the UAB Football Homecoming game at Protective Stadium on Oct. 18. 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 Blazer Alumni.

Preer, a 20-year-old junior, is majoring in genetics and genomic sciences and working on a master’s degree in public health with a concentration in epidemiology. He is in the UAB Early Medical School Acceptance Program, recipient of the Presidential Scholarship and participates in the UAB Honors College on a Personalized Path.

In addition, he is a lead mentor in the Blazer Mentorship Collective and was voted “Most Involved Off-Campus Mentor.” Preer is a UAB Ambassador and is a member of UAB Bioethics Bowl team. He is a cofounder and committee director of Blazer Music Outreach and volunteers with the 1917 Clinic and Blazer Kitchen. His parents are Bryan Preer Sr. and Tamera Lowe-Preer of Madison.

The reigning Ms. UAB, Kulkarni, also a junior and 20 years old, is majoring in cancer biology in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine. She received a Presidential Scholarship and is in the UAB Honors College’s University Honors Program, in which she won the M. Elmore and John D. Elmore Honors Scholarship.

Kulkarni won first place at the Center for Outreach and Development Research Symposium. She serves as a UAB Trail-Blazer, vice president of Alpha Xi Delta Finance and Operations and a senator in College of Arts and Sciences. She has volunteered with the Kidney Disease Screening Awareness and Prevention Program, Blazer Kitchen and Blazer Thrift. Her parents are Sanjay and Jeanette Kulkarni of Madison.

Finalists for Mr. UAB included another Madison resident. Aasim Musani, 19, is a sophomore with a major in cancer biology. He is in the Honors College on a Personalized Path.

Musani is a scholar in the Roadmap for America’s Cancer Explorers for the 21st Century and a 2025 RACE21 Research Symposium Champion. A UAB Trail-Blazer, Musani serves as a Future Blazer Alumni representative and treasurer of Pakistani Student Association. His parents are Munaf and Shahina Musani of Madison.

Applicants for Mr. and Ms. UAB must demonstrate a record of leadership and active participation in extracurricular activities. The 10 finalists were selected through an interview process. Winners were chosen through an additional round of interviews and student vote.

For more information, visit uab.edu.