Warhawk Weekly 12-9: Graduation marshals selected; Tell us your story
Outstanding AUM students selected as fall graduation marshals
Seventeen outstanding Auburn University at Montgomery students will have the honor of serving as graduation marshals for their respective colleges during Fall 2025 Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 13.
Selected by their colleges, student marshals are traditionally recognized by their deans during commencement. AUM’s Fall 2025 student marshals are:
College of Business
- Bryana Griffin, Business Administration – Marketing, Alexander City, Ala.
- Stephanie Monique Green-Sanders, Information Systems, Montgomery, Ala.
- Paul Luis, Master of Accountancy, Pike Road, Ala.
College of Education
- Alexis Love Stevenson, Special Education, Tallassee, Ala.
- Jalen Bradley, Exercise Science, Monroeville, Ala.
- McKenzie Horton Cogle, Alternative Masters in Early Childhood Education, Selma, Ala.
College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
- Tiara Staples, Communication – Theatre, Heidelberg, Germany
- Madelyn Grace Wooldridge, Criminal Justice (minor in Photography), Wetumpka, Ala.
- Sydni Free, Political Science, Freeport, Fla.
College of Nursing & Health Sciences
- Kanya Perry, Medical Laboratory Science, Phenix City, Ala.
- Kamryn Morris, Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner Track, Montgomery, Ala.
- Sydney Atkins, Nursing, Deatsville, Ala.
College of Sciences
- Franziska Dempwolf, Chemistry – Health Science, Geretsried, Germany
- Amari Renee Pace, Psychology (minor in Social Work), Grove Hill, Ala.
- Kayla Noel Stojak, Biology Public Health – Microbiology, Montgomery, Ala.
University College
- Rebecca Reynolds, Interdisciplinary Studies (minor in Social Work), Prattville, Ala.
- Jenna Culberson, Interdisciplinary Studies, Montgomery, Ala.
AUM will celebrate the achievements of nearly 750 students during fall commencement, awarding degrees during two ceremonies at the AUM Athletics Complex:
- 10 a.m. – College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, University College, and the College of Sciences
- 2 p.m. – Colleges of Nursing & Health Sciences, Business and Education
Both ceremonies will be livestreamed on AUM’s commencement website.
Class of 2025: Tell us your AUM story
Commencement is this weekend, and we want to celebrate you! If you’re a member of our Fall 2025 graduating class, share your AUM memories and tell us where your degree will take you.
Send an email to [email protected] with:
- Your graduation photo
- Or a short video clip in your graduation gear answering: “Tell us where your AUM degree will take you.”
- Your name
- Your major/degree
- Your hometown
- Your future plans
- Your favorite AUM class or professor
- What you’ll miss most about your time at AUM
We’ll feature your submissions on AUM’s social media as we celebrate the Class of 2025!
Support ’12’s Day of Giving’ with AUM
As a co-sponsor of WSFA-TV’s “12’s Day of Giving,” AUM has supported the holiday giving event each year. AUM Chancellor Dr. Carl Stockton — joined by Curtiss, AUM cheerleaders, and members of the Orange Jacket Society — recently completed holiday shopping for the cause.
You can contribute by dropping off toys, non-perishable food items, or monetary gifts between 5 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12, at Renfroe’s Market – Eastchase. All donations will benefit Toys for Tots, the Heart of Alabama Food Bank, and HandsOn River Region’s Christmas Clearinghouse.
AUM MBA blueprint for alum’s new health venture
AUM alumnus Dr. Bilal Ahmed (’13, MBA) has built a career defined by academic excellence, medical expertise, and entrepreneurial innovation, one he credits, in part, to the strong foundation he gained at AUM as a graduate student.
But Ahmed’s career as a cardiologist extends beyond clinical care. With the MBA he earned from AUM in 2013, he developed a business model to launch Lylah Health, a new personalized microbiome therapeutics company rooted in science, transparency, and culturally informed wellness.
His time at AUM was “immensely formative,” providing him with a busines
s degree that helped accelerate his professional growth and strengthened his confidence to launch his new entrepreneurial venture.
“I firmly believe the education I received at AUM was on par with most institutions, and my degree has made my career advancement quicker than if I had not gotten it,” said Ahmed, who co-founded Lylah Health with his sister Zoya Ahmed, a culinary expert as passionate about food as medicine.
Lylah Health grew out of Ahmed’s longstanding interest in the connection between the gut microbiome and cardiovascular disease. That curiosity began in 2017, when he conducted research analyzing gut microbial differences in patients undergoing left heart catheterization, specifically comparing individuals with coronary artery disease to those without it.
“What started as an interest became a lifelong passion,” said Ahmed, who is a practicing cardiologist in Columbus, Georgia.
That passion, paired with Zoya Ahmed’s expertise and shared mission, evolved into Lylah Health’s core philosophy: targeted, evidence-based support for metabolic and cardiovascular health. Lylah Health recognizes that modern diets often work against cardiovascular health. By targeting the gut microbiome, the company developed its flagship product Biotics3, which aims to counter inflammatory pathways linked to metabolic syndrome and coronary artery disease.
“What began as research out of curiosity around the relationship between cardiovascular disease and the gut, grew into finding a way to address an issue that typically has a lack of evidence,” Ahmed said. “More than half of the supplements people are taking today to improve things, such as heart health, are products that have no research behind them.”
Ahmed credits with helping him develop the business acumen he now uses every day as a clinician-entrepreneur and chief scientific officer at Lylah Health.
“AUM provided a foundation to help me launch my career forward,” he said. “That foundation made all the difference.”
Warhawks baseball, softball take the field in January
AUM’s baseball and softball programs are gearing up for action, with both teams officially releasing their 2026 season schedules.
Under the leadership of third-year head coach Franklin Bush, Warhawks baseball will compete in 49 regular-season games, including 16 non-conference matchups and 33 Gulf South Conference (GSC) contests. The team opens its season on the road with a three-game series at Young Harris College on Jan. 30–Feb. 1.
AUM softball, guided by fourth-year head coach Scottie Wilkes Laney, will take on 51 regular-season games, featuring 18 non-conference matchups and 33 GSC contests. The Warhawks begin their season at the Gulf Shores Invitational on Jan. 30, facing Florida Tech and Saint Leo.
Fans can view the full 2026 baseball schedule and the full 2026 softball schedule online to keep up with the Warhawks throughout the season.
Celebrate the season with AUM’s Staff Council
The AUM Staff Council Executive Committee and Unit Representatives invite all staff to a Holiday Luncheon and Market from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
This year’s theme is “’Tis the Season for Warhawks to Give Back,” and the Staff Council encourages staff to explore opportunities to make a difference on campus and in the community:
- Donate to a cause you support, snap a photo of your donation, and share it with the Staff Council.
- Donate toys, food and other items directly to the Staff Council to deliver to the agency of your choice. Donations can be dropped off at the holiday luncheon or at the Office of Central Advising, Room 45, to Kennedy Smith.
Interested in becoming a Holiday Market vendor? Email Lee Farrow at [email protected].
Staff planning to attend the luncheon and market should RSVP online by Dec. 10 to secure a spot and be entered into drawings for door prizes.
Don’t miss this festive opportunity to celebrate the season with your colleagues.
‘Common Thread’ seeking submissions for 2026 issue
The Common Thread, AUM’s student-run literary and creative arts magazine, is accepting submissions from students, faculty and staff for its 2026 issue. The deadline for submissions is Dec. 31, and entries should be emailed to [email protected].
This year’s editorial team aims to showcase the creativity and diverse voices of the AUM community. The 2026 issue will center on community, inviting contributors to create together, celebrate one another and explore how collaboration shapes who we are. The “common thread” unifying the issue will come directly from the voices of its contributors.
As a collaborative space, the magazine highlights local creativity, reflects on shared history and imagines a future grounded in resistance, change and collective growth.
Keep up with campus events
There’s an easy way to keep up with all of the fun events offered on our campus. Enroll in AUM365 and get the 4-1-1 from Curtiss The Warhawk himself. Text curti$$ to 334-398-6025 to receive reminders about upcoming happening.
