The Lancers, sporting bright smiles and blue jackets, have served as official student ambassadors for The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) for 50 years. They’ve welcomed guests to scholarship banquets, donor receptions, award ceremonies, commencements and other special events.
The group began in 1973 as the “Hosts and Hostesses” under UAH’s first president, Dr. Ben Graves. The next year, the university changed the name to Lancers, a nod to UAH’s then-mascot, a knight holding a lance and charging forward on a horse. The mascot evolved to a Charger in the half century since, but the Lancers are still known for their enthusiasm and eagerness to help – and the sharp jackets.
That desire to serve – as well as the opportunity to develop leadership skills – continues to draw ambitious Chargers to the competitive Lancer selection process, open to rising juniors and seniors. That’s why UAH Lancers alumni Mital Modi and Yanjie Horton applied for the program that they say helped them grow personally and professionally and gave them treasured friendships and memories.
UAH Lancer alumna Mital Modi.
Courtesy Mital Modi
Seeing the Lancers at work around campus impressed Modi, who graduated from UAH in May 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering and a minor in mathematics.
“One of the things that attracted me to becoming a Lancer was being able to represent the university and the president and his council and to meet the donors who give back to the university,” Modi says. “Also I have a competitive nature, and Lancers was one of those organizations that you can’t just sign up for. You had to go through a full selection process.”
That process focuses on students’ “academic standing (3.0 minimum GPA is required), their ability to communicate, their willingness to learn about the university and their enthusiasm for UAH,” says Emily Burnett, Lancers sponsor and special events manager. The Lancers program is run out of the Special Events Office, which chooses new Lancers in the spring semester, typically March-April.
Post UAH, Modi has continued to be a high achiever. She obtained a master’s certification in systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a master’s degree in national defense and strategic studies from the United States Naval War College. She currently works as a target test director for the Missile Defense Agency and also serves as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. She’s a community volunteer, too.
Modi’s Lancer experiences help her navigate her many responsibilities.
UAH Lancer alumna Yanjie Horton.
Michael Mercier | UAH
“The biggest thing I learned is time management,” she says, emphasizing that all Lancers are very active members of the organization. “We followed through with things we signed up for. Being a Lancer is not just a resume booster; we’re giving back to a cause. It’s about how you represent your organization. I took that philosophy into my Navy career, my civilian career, even other community organizations. You have to give your 100%.”
Modi still talks to many of her Lancer friends and remains connected to UAH. She served on the UAH Alumni Association board for about six years.
Horton graduated from UAH in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in finance. She’s in job-hunting mode now, but her time as a Lancer has already served her well in internship roles.
She spent summer 2024 in Washington, D.C., as a member of the inaugural cohort of The University of Alabama System Capitol Scholars Program, and her previous Lancer duties helped her work well with the people she encountered.
“One of the things that I learned being a Lancer was the ability to do lots of different things that were asked of you. The various Lancer events all are unique and have different needs. The versatility and adaptability that you have to have, and learning how to make sure everything is going smoothly – these are so important. You have to meet the needs of the guests and even anticipate a need before it’s there.”
Both Modi and Horton fondly recall holiday events at the Lowe House, the UAH president’s residence.
Modi remembers her first Lowe House Christmas party when Dr. Frank Franz was serving as UAH’s fifth president: “For me as a student to meet some of our major donors and to be facilitating that event was a great memory.”
Horton’s top Lowe House experience came from a recent Spirit of Christmas Past Home Tour with current President Dr. Charles L. Karr and his wife, Jodie, in residence.
“The decorations were so beautiful, but that night it was absolutely pouring rain. We weren’t certain if the tour organizers were going to cancel the whole event. But all of the Lancers had large umbrellas to walk guests up to the house so they didn’t have to walk all the way in the rain. We were prepared for that contingency.”
Fortunately for everyone, the rain let up by the time the tour started. But, as usual, the Lancers were ready, whatever the weather.
