So it turns out that the links back to this page UiPath Graduates Group are red herrings. In each group page liked to, there’s a button to the right to request to join the group. Waaaaaay to the right and hiding with low contrast, just like a ninja.
However, that’s only half my request. There are additional forum features (badges and trust) that have to automatically come from the system recognizing you. How do I obtain those things?
the email address that I used for the academy and the forum are already the same, and have always been the same. I created my academy account before my forum account.