Yoonhee Ryder
Bliss ChangBliss Chang, who graduated with degrees in
biochemistry and
biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, was
awarded a 2015 Fulbright scholarship to conduct research in Germany for a year. Chang, a member of the
Honors College’s Science and Technology Honors Program, is the 17th UAB student to receive this honor since 1993. Chang also received a DAAD Graduate Scholarship and a Golden Key International Honors Society Undergraduate Scholarship.
Yoonhee Ryder, who graduated with degrees in
biology and
anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences, was a
finalist for the Marshall and Rhodes scholarships. Ryder is
one of UAB’s Outstanding Women for 2015, selected by the UAB Commission on the Status of Women. She has been awarded prestigious scholarships and educational opportunities, including the
Clinton Scholarship to study in the Middle East and the U.S. State Department’s
Critical Language Institute to further study Korean.
Leah Berkbile
Sadhvi BatraAlumna
Sadhvi Batra is
one of only 40 winners nationwide for the Humanity in Action Fellowship, which supports original research concerning intolerance and democratic values. Batra recently graduated from UAB with a degree in
neuroscience and
philosophy. She was a member of the Honors College’s Science and Technology Honors Program and is completing her master’s degree in the School of Public Health’s fifth-year fast-track program. Batra will graduate with a master’s degree in public health. The fellowship begins May 25 in Washington, D.C., where the winners began orientation with the Council on Foreign Relations and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Tori Gandy,
Yamani Bhat and
Adelaide Beckman have been
invited to join the 2015 Teach for America Corps. They will spend the next two years teaching in low-income areas throughout America.

Gandy graduated with a mathematics degree and a minor in economics. Bhat, who was a member of the Honors College’s University Honors Program, graduated with a degree in international studies. Beckman, who graduated with a degree in communication studies, is a recipient of the CAS Department of Communication Studies’ James E. Mills Scholarship and the Dean’s Leadership Scholarship. She was also a member of the Honors College’s University Honors Program. After graduating, the three TFA volunteers will attend an intensive five-week training program to prepare them for their teaching experience and familiarize them with their regions and school districts. They began teaching in August.
Leah Berkebile, graduated with degrees in
biology and an individually designed major. An alumna of the Honors College Experiential Learning Program, she recently won a Fulbright Scholarship and is now a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Jordan. Berkebile previously received the
Critical Language Scholarship to Morocco and the Clinton Scholarship to Dubai.