Our purpose is to foster an inclusive community where students feel welcome, find support, and build connections. Through collaborative efforts, our students are committed to fostering engagement, learning about leadership, and promoting guidance on the University of Alabama campus. Our engagement pods strive to establish meaningful connections, offer valuable opportunities for personal and professional growth, and enhance the vibrancy of the campus environment.
Our goal is to empower students to become proactive leaders and engaged members of the UA community. We strive to organize purposeful meetings that encourage open communication, idea exchange, and collaborative initiatives. By focusing on the following pillars, our engagement pods endeavor to make a lasting impact on the student body.
By aligning our efforts with these core principles, our engagement pods aspire to enhance the overall student experience at the University of Alabama and leave a legacy of empowered leaders and engaged individuals. Together, we aim to create a community where every student feels valued, supported, and inspired to make a difference.
These engagement pods can be anything from a book club or running pod to a crafting pod.
We are looking for students to serve as leaders of the Engagement Pods to lead small groups in the fall and spring semesters. University Programs will provide all materials and supplies to the group as well as assist with space reservations.
The Engagement Pod leadership application is currently closed.
Interested in joining an Engagement Pod? Check out the Engagement Pods below and fill out the form. Each Pod will start the week of March 24-28, 2025.
Join an Engagement PodLeader: Emily McMickle
Meeting: Mondays 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. (subject to change)
Location: Rec Center
To create a fun environment of exercise where you don’t need a gym to work out (some people like me find that boring), to create community, and to inspire others to be creative and create their own sports and activities. You don’t need any official national or worldwide “sports approval” to make your own games and rules and get others involved! I also want to show others that with that creativity, it knows no bounds, and you can do fun, amazing, and healthy things yourself right at home.
Leader: Sydney Turpin
Meeting: Tuesdays 4 – 5:30 p.m.
My pod aims to provide a creative outlet for students and foster community on campus. I’m hoping my pod can be a place away from schoolwork where we can just have a fun night!
Leader: Ava Calp
Meeting: Wednesdays 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
To build a community for women interested in this specific area of culture, discuss current and past events, foster creative energy in the space, and encourage women to pursue content creation and internet engagement in critical spheres.
Leader: Isaac Titherington
Meeting: Wednesday 4 – 5 p.m.
The goal is to create a consistent, engaging space where students can connect with others, discover campus resources, and develop leadership skills while navigating their college experience. Through project-based activities, participants will gain the confidence to get involved on campus and create meaningful connections.
Leader: Lyndsay McLaughlin
Meeting: Wednesday 6 p.m.
To support peers’ mental and physical health through Pilates!
Leader: Madison Allen
Meeting: Tuesday 5 – 6 p.m.
I want to encourage others to become more fluent in these skills (Embroidery, Cooking, Crocheting, Baking, ice cream tasting, and geocaching) while also improving my own.
Leader: Madisyn Harris
Meeting: Monday 5 – 6 p.m.
To inspire other students, take hold of your creativity and your own ideas and express that into your clay. You can make anything you want; pottery is an expression of you.
Leader: Jackie Clayton
Meeting: Thursday 5 – 7:30 p.m.
The goal of the pod is for this small group to bond over the show we all enjoy. I don’t think there’s a Survivor club on campus. We’d follow along and discuss the latest seasons as they air, and if there’s not a current season, we could rewatch and discuss an old season.
Leader: Ashley Igberaese
Meeting: Monday 5 – 6 p.m.
The overall goal of my pod is to foster connections with others through reading. Reading has been my passion since before elementary school. While reading alone provides knowledge, reading and discussing with others offer insights and perspectives that help shape a well-rounded individual. POD members will vote on a book, and each week, we will discuss its chapters! I want to create a space where people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts on something they enjoy.
Leader: Lana Lloyd
Meeting: Thursday 5:15 – 7:15 p.m.
The overall goal is to create a space where creatives from every field—artists, designers, photographers, musicians, filmmakers, and more—can connect and collaborate. We could explore each other’s mediums and even hold workshops to teach one another our techniques.
Leader: Aniya Abner
Meeting: Wednesday 5 – 6 p.m.
To allow like-minded people to come together and grow together through professional development and self-care knowledge.
Leader: Emily Harvey
Meeting: Wednesday 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Rec Center
I want to meet more people who also love to play pickleball! I need some new friends to go play with, and I really want to commit to going more on a weekly basis, so this would be an awesome opportunity to do all of that!!
Leaders: Altonio Johnson and Omar Liddel
Meeting: Thursday 7 – 9 p.m.
The pod’s goal is to create a community where my peers can connect, share knowledge, and engage with one another. It aims to foster discussions, provide training resources, promote fan interaction, and create opportunities for collaboration. Ultimately, it’s about building a vibrant and interactive space centered around basketball.
Leader: Chloe Parchman
Meeting: Monday 5 – 6 p.m.
To provide Freshman girls with advice and support.
Leader: Christopher Burrell
Meeting: Friday 5 – 6 p.m.
To get students who enjoy listening to, playing, or recording music to discuss an album or song that we will review to learn from, gain inspiration from, or just enjoy the music itself.
