Student Spotlights

Dana Berry & Jessica George

A Double Bama Success Story…

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In July of 2017 on a very hot weekend in Tuscaloosa, Dana Berry and Jessie George met each other at Bama Bound.  Both girls were from the Columbus Ohio area and planning on public relations careers.  They were both also Presidential Scholarship Students.  They found themselves in a C&IS (College of Communication and Information Science) breakout session and struck up a conversation.  As fate would have it back in the Ferguson Center, Dana’s dad and Jessie’s parents were also meeting up after having connected via the Bama Parents page on Facebook.  Planning on introducing the girls they found them walking down the quad together already starting what would become a four-year joint path of study and new best friends. 

The girls both found themselves in study abroad programs in Germany and following each other into the prestigious Capstone Agency.  Dana was a media specialist for Alabama Power and Jessie a strategist for The

Plank Center.  As their sophomore year was ending both had found their way to Dr Kenon Brown’s office to discuss the AMP (Accelerated Master’s Program) This is a program that allows students to start taking graduate study classes while still finishing their undergraduate degree.  Normally doubling up in the Senior year and finishing with one added year.  It turned out that both girls had enough credits to apply and qualify for this program as sophomores and not only did they get accepted but they were going to finish this program within their four years at Alabama versus the standard five. 

Dana would add German Club, and President of PRSSA to her resume and Jessie Oakley Society, PRSSA and Director of Event Production for Tide Talks.  Both girls graduated in 2021 with both their Undergraduate and master’s degrees – Jessie with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Information Sciences, Minor in Studio Art and her Master of Arts in Advertising and Public Relations working for Angelic Branding Consulting remote from NYC and Dana with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Information Sciences, Minor in German and her Master of Arts in Advertising and Public Relations.  She is working for MERGE Communications in Atlanta.  Way to go girls!

Arianna Kellum

Arianna’s Interest started at a college fair where she spoke with Alabama recruiter Kelly Watson about opportunities at The University of Alabama. It continued at a mixer at The Columbus Museum of Art, where Tracy George; Roll Tide Ohio Recruitment Chair shared her daughter’s journey. It started to feel real at then Roll Tide Ohio President; Christina Brown’s Send Off Party. Looking back now, I feel that all these experiences, and the Bamaly feeling we all had, continued to make The University of Alabama stand out. She started her freshman year by participating in Health action. She was able to form friendships before school started and got to move in early. During her freshman year, she applied and became a member of the Blackburn Institute. That year she was awarded the Don and Barbara “Bobbie” Siegal Endowed Scholarship. During her spring break she participated in the Beyond Bama Service Trip to New Orleans.  She was also able to play intramural soccer. Sophomore year, despite COVID, she applied and was nominated to Chair of the Blackburn

Institute. An organization she had grown to love, she was now going to play a part in leading and choosing the new student class. In one of her honor’s classes, she volunteered to help prepare taxes, free of charge, for a local community.  She then applied and was accepted into the Nursing Program summer of her sophomore year. Junior year, she was a Nursing Ambassador, as well as being nominated to the XXXI organization (picture with hat - part of their tradition). Then she was elected Vice- President for XXX1, for next year. She also continued to support, in any additional way, the Blackburn Institute. During her time at Alabama, she has been a member of the BFSA, and been on the Dean’s List.  While a member of BFSA she received the Earnestine Tucker Award, Archie Wade Award, and the Harold Bishop Award. This past summer she had an externship at Children’s Hospital in the NICU.  She loves attending football games (freshman year picture) and walking the quad and enjoying the beauty of the campus. This school year she will graduate with honors with a BSN and a minor in Spanish. As we look back, we have seen our daughter grow not only academically, but mentally and socially as well. Our hearts are full, and we feel blessed to have been supported and surrounded by the University of Alabama family - from instructors to fellow parents, and those we have met from various university communities. As we were told at Bama Bound - Roll Tide has many meanings. By having a child there, it has given the phrase much more meaning than we ever imagined. Roll Tide!