Warhawk Weekly 5-19: Third annual poetry competition; AV Storytelling Camp
AUM High School Poetry Competition honors young poets
Six Booker T. Washington Magnet (BTW) High School student poets were recognized in Auburn University at Montgomery’s third annual High School Poetry Competition.
BTW senior Lillian Speigner captured first place in the competition with her poem, “Echoes of Montgomery,” a reflection on violence, resilience, community, and hope in Montgomery. The competition also recognized BTW student poets Summer Stanford and Tashod Jones, who tied for second place; Jayden Rudolph, who earned third place; and honorable mention recipients Zulimar Reyes and Ayannah Boone.
Joyce Kelley, professor of English and the competition’s organizer, said this year’s submissions were marked by their emotional honesty and their powerful reflection on both individual and shared experiences.
“Our literary magazine is a collaborative space that foregrounds local creativity,” She said. “We hoped that for this year’s competition students would think deeply about issues of resistance, change, and collective growth, contemplating the ways communities are shaped by diverse voices while also articulating their individual experiences. We also sought out voice-driven poetry for this competition, and each winning poem was emotionally resonant, connecting personal experiences to larger conversations about community.”
As the first-place winner, Speigner’s poem was featured in the print edition of “Common Thread,” AUM’s literary magazine. She also has been offered a $500 scholarship to AUM’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences should she choose to major in the college. The remaining winning poems were featured in the online edition of “Common Thread.”
AUM AV Storytelling Camp returns June 8-11
AUM’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Department of Communication and Theatre will offer the fifth annual Audio-Visual (AV) Storytelling Camp June 8-11.
The free, four-day camp is open to 24 area high school students interested in producing multimedia stories. Participants will explore podcasting, television, voice acting, news writing and strategic communication while learning how to create media projects for their portfolios.
Campers will have the opportunity to develop projects such as documentaries, creative photography pieces or fictional radio dramas.
The camp is supported by a grant from the Alabama Press Association and the AUM Office of the Provost. The registration deadline is June 1.
Four AUM softball standouts earn All-South Region honors
Four AUM softball student-athletes have earned All-South Region honors from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association following one of the program’s strongest seasons.
Senior outfielder Chloe Baynes led the Warhawks’ selections, earning D2 CCA South Region Player of the Year honors and a spot on the All-South Region First Team. Sophomore pitcher Reese Cauley and senior shortstop Rebecca Komers also earned First Team recognition, while junior designated player Olivia Watkins was named to the Second Team.
The honors follow a 43-win season for AUM softball and the team’s appearance in the NCAA South Regional.
Baynes and Cauley also swept the Gulf South Conference’s top individual awards earlier this postseason, earning GSC Player of the Year and GSC Pitcher of the Year honors, respectively. Baynes, Cauley and Komers were named First Team All-GSC, while Baynes and Komers also earned spots on the GSC Golden Glove Team.
Read more about the softball honors in the Athletics Newsroom.
Green Zone training available for faculty, staff
As a university consistently recognized as a Military Friendly School by Viqtory Media, AUM takes pride in anticipating and meeting the needs of its more than 800 military-affiliated students.
One of the best ways faculty and staff can help these students is by completing Green Zone training, which focuses on increasing awareness of the backgrounds and needs of student veterans, spouses and military dependents.
Green Zone training will be offered from 9-11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20, in Goodwyn Hall 116.
Participants that attend will receive a certificate and a green zone sticker to place outside their office space. Registration is required for this training.
AUM Offers Hands-On AI Training for Faculty, Students
AUM faculty and students will have an opportunity to build practical artificial intelligence skills through hands-on deep learning training sessions offered by the College of Sciences through its NSF ExpandAI initiative.
The sessions will introduce participants to NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute concepts and programming exercises designed to strengthen their understanding of AI tools, techniques and real-world applications. Two College of Sciences graduate students will be available to assist participants with setup and programming-related questions.
Training sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, May 20, and Thursday, May 21, in AUM’s Machine Learning Lab, Goodwyn Hall 204. Fifteen faculty members and five students have been selected to participate, with faculty participants receiving a $400 stipend and students receiving a $200 stipend for completing both sessions.
For more information about these training opportunities, email Dr. Olcay Kursun at [email protected].
Build in-demand data analytics skills this summer
Data drives decisions, and professionals who can interpret it are in demand across industries.
AUM’s 2026 Summer Data Analytics Certificate Program helps students, professionals, and practitioners build high-impact skills in data science, statistical learning, statistical modeling and data-driven decision making.
In this three day, six-module course, participants will gain practical tools to analyze, interpret, and leverage data across industries such as business, healthcare, academia, and public policy.
Take your analytical skills to the next level this summer by registering for a session:
