HPU Recognizes 14 Students as Extraordinary Leaders
HPU’s 2023-2024 Extraordinary Leaders are pictured during an event honoring their achievements and impact at HPU. From left are Xuan “Dynasty” Rui, Provost Dr. Daniel Erb, Angelena Antenuci, Ava Taylor, Benjamin Niehaus, Hannah Parson, Caitlin Black, Emerson Heckler, Mary Sosebee, Michael Lee, Stephen “Chase” McGee, Alexandra Bennett, Michael “Ben” Smid, Drew Seaman, Annie Borovskiy, and Gwenn Noel, vice president of Student Life (far right).
HIGH POINT, N.C., May 8, 2024 – High Point University recognized and celebrated the outstanding achievements of students through their scholarly works and campus impact during Honors and Scholars Day ceremonies on April 16. Among the notable awards, several students were named Extraordinary Leaders for their stellar performance in the classroom, service to the University community and demonstrated leadership among their peers.
Extraordinary Leaders are nominated by faculty, staff and fellow students with more than 200 nominations received this academic year. These students have embraced the holistic education at HPU by leading by example, commitment to their academic endeavors and desire to improve the community at large.
2023-2024 Extraordinary Leaders:
Angelena Antenuci, a senior philosophy major from High Point, North Carolina, is active in the Student Government Association (SGA) as the attorney general. As a member of Alpha Chi Omega, she has served as assistant vice president of philanthropy, vice president of community relations for HPU’s National Panhellenic Council and was recognized with membership in the Order of Omega. As the outreach assistant for the Office of Counseling Services, she has produced multimedia content for the Panther Prevention and Panther Recovery programs. Antenuci will begin graduate school at Campbell University’s School of Law after graduation with a focus on elder and veteran law.
Alexandra Bennett is a senior international relations major from McDonald, Pennsylvania, who has conducted and presented undergraduate research on the intersection of foreign policy and media consumption. She presented her senior thesis, “Demographics, Media Consumption, and Foreign Policy Attitudes,” during High-PURCS 2024. Bennett served as a student justice, peer mentor and a volunteer with many local High Point organizations. She passed a resolution within the SGA to create an HPU Democracy Day for civic awareness and voter education. Bennett was recently recognized as a Boren Scholar alternate and semifinalist for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program – English Teaching Assistantship. After graduation, Bennett will pursue her J.D. at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Caitlin Black, a junior from High Point, North Carolina, is a student in the Honors Scholar Program double majoring in computer science and dance. She is a devoted member of the HPU Dance Team and was recognized as a Millis Scholar-Athlete in 2022 and 2023. Black attended the North Carolina Governor’s School West at HPU during high school and immediately knew HPU was the college for her. She has excelled in the classroom while balancing many leadership roles, such as university ambassador, student justice and vice president for academic affairs and campus engagement in the SGA. She will serve as the SGA chief of staff for the next academic year.
Annie Borovskiy has taken full advantage of HPU’s experiential learning opportunities, notably by her selection to the 2023 Dallas Mavericks’ externship with Sports Executive-in-Residence Cynt Marshall and recording an Access to Innovators podcast with Charlie Freeman, president of business operations for the NBA’s Orlando Magic and HPU Sports Business Executive in Residence. She is a senior sport management major from Feasterville Trevose, Pennsylvania, who will be an inside sales representative for BSA Global and the NBA Brooklyn Nets after graduation. Borovskiy has volunteered in the local community with numerous organizations and participated in several internships, including Wake Forest Sports/LEARFIELD. She is a devoted SGA leader, having served her peers as a Class of 2024 officer, vice president of external communications and this year as chief of staff.
Emerson Heckler is a senior neuroscience major and Natural Science Fellow from Mooresville, North Carolina. She was recently named the 2024 Elizabeth Miller Strickland Trailblazer award winner and a 2023-2024 Goldston Scholarship finalist. She has immersed herself in faculty-mentored research through multiple programs, resulting in several authored manuscripts and conference presentations. Outside the classroom, she is an active member of Alpha Phi Omega, providing service to many community organizations, such as HorsePOWER, a therapeutic learning center for children with disabilities. Heckler has been accepted to medical school at several top universities, including Dartmouth, Wake Forest and Virginia Commonwealth, to study OB-GYN medicine with a focus on reproductive endocrinology and infertility.
Michael Lee is a senior Natural Science Fellow and biology major from Toms River, New Jersey. Through the Wanek School of Natural Sciences, he has served in a leadership role with the Natural Sciences Fellows and as student director of the Culp Planetarium. Across campus, Lee is a university ambassador captain and member of the SGA Judicial Board as a student justice. Through his own experiences with mental health, Lee uses his public speaking skills to share his story with student groups at HPU and beyond on the importance of reaching out for support. After graduation, he will join Vaniam Group as an oncologic pharmaceutical consultant while also advancing his professional speaking company, Undergrad to Undergrad.
Stephen “Chase” McGee has a passion for the Earl N. Phillips School of Business community at HPU and helping others in the local community. As a junior accounting major from Kernersville, North Carolina, he volunteers with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to assist low-income families with their annual tax preparation. Through Alpha Kappa Psi, the professional business fraternity, he has introduced creative fundraising opportunities to support numerous service initiatives with community organizations. McGee started his own company, Focus Digital, an SEO company focused on helping small businesses drive more revenue from Google organic searches, and credits Dr. Jo Lacy, assistant professor of accounting, for her mentorship along the way.
Benjamin Niehaus has taken advantage of the leadership development opportunities at HPU, notably through the SGA. He served as its vice president of student engagement and as treasurer this past academic year, working with more than 130 student organizations. Niehaus was elected by the student body to serve as SGA president for the 2024-2025 academic year. As a junior finance major and Honors Scholar from Chattanooga, Tennessee, he serves as a peer mentor and was accepted to work for a second year at Augusta National Golf Club for The Masters Tournament. This summer, he will be an intern for the Koury Corporation in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Hannah Parson, a senior political science and English double major from Champions Gate, Florida, has received the Dean’s Fellowship to attend Washington University School of Law in St. Louis with a focus on public policy. She is a member of the Honors Scholar Program, recognized as a Junior Marshal and contributed to community organizations, such as SPCA, West End Ministries and the LEAP (Literacy Empowers All People) after school program through Alpha Phi Omega. She has been a devoted leader to the campus community in many roles, notably as SGA president this academic year. Parson conducted independent research projects in political science and English and presented both during High-PURCS 2024.
Xuan “Dynasty” Rui successfully conquered language and cultural barriers at HPU as an international student from China while creating a positive impact for the HPU community. She is a senior double major in media production and entrepreneurship, and philosophy. She served as vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion for the SGA, co-president of Interfaith United and president of the Global Student Association. Through faculty-mentored research, Rui presented her original work, “Cultivating an Interdependent Relationship with the Divine and One Another: A Comparative Study between St. Irenaeus and Xunzi on the Problem of Evil,” at High-PURCS 2024. After graduation, she will team up with a local nonprofit in the High Point community to focus on social justice, applied ethics and effective engagement through a new podcast platform.
Drew Seaman is a senior entrepreneurship major from Severna Park, Maryland. After transferring to HPU, he joined several organizations, including the men’s club rowing team, where he is captain. Hard work and determination, coupled with servant leadership for fellow teammates, has led to success at weekend regattas. Seaman shares that his educational journey has not been easy, mainly due to learning differences that led to an alternative educational journey. He credits HPU’s inspiring environment with caring people as the support mechanism, leading to his success both in and outside the classroom. He was honored with membership in Sigma Nu Tau and Delta Mu Delta, the entrepreneurship and business honor societies, respectively.
Michael “Ben” Smid has received many accolades from the Earl N. Phillips School of Business, as a Business Fellow and Chief Junior Marshal. As a senior finance major from Advance, North Carolina, his leadership has contributed to many achievements for HPU’s Professional Selling Club, including donating more than 100 Thanksgiving meal boxes through the Boys and Girls Club to families in the High Point community. Smid has participated in both the Truist Leadership Institute and Disney Institute through HPU. After graduation, he will join Gartner as a technology adviser in Fort Myers, Florida.
Mary Sosebee has demonstrated academic achievement and leadership at HPU in many ways. As a senior from Orlando, Florida, and a leader on the HPU women’s lacrosse team, she was recognized as a Millis Scholar-Athlete and IWLCA Academic Honor Roll in the NCAA. Through selection by her peers, Sosebee served on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She will graduate with a journalism degree with plans to pursue a career in political campaigns. She has been an active member of the College Republicans organization, organizing an on-campus candidate forum last fall and was selected to serve as secretary for the North Carolina Federation of College Republicans.
Ava Taylor, a senior biology major and Honors Scholar from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, will be attending Johns Hopkins University to pursue a Master of Science degree in biomedical engineering after graduation. During her time at HPU, she has completed numerous faculty-mentored research projects, a summer research experience for undergraduates funded by the National Science Foundation and multiple professional conference presentations, including one in Ottawa, Canada. Taylor is a member of Alpha Chi Omega, where she served as vice president of philanthropy and led the chapter in raising more than $10,000 to support Carpenter House, a local nonprofit shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.