In October 2025, Beyond Bama, a student engagement team affiliated with the Center for Service and Leadership, took 10 students to serve in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. The trip was led by UA student leaders who received training from the Center for Service and Leadership. These leaders kept the team on schedule, managed trip logistics, served as role models to their peers, and led reflections.
The trip was a collaboration with the Culverhouse College of Business Selma Resilience Initiative. During students’ fall break, they volunteered at the Selma Area Food Bank and the YMCA of Selma–Dallas County. Students also participated in outings to learn more about the history and culture of the two historic cities.
In Selma, students had the opportunity to attend the Photographic Nights of Selma Festival, a celebration of photography as an art form that brings people from across the globe together to better understand one another. In Montgomery, students visited the state capitol and archives.
These alternative trips serve as a great way for UA students to immerse themselves in service, experiential learning, and cultural experiences.