This story is featured in the Spring 2018 edition of the HPU Magazine. Discover below how a current university parent has experienced firsthand the opportunities that await students at HPU.
College is a crucial time in a young adult’s life. Which campus will be the best home for them? Who will be their mentors? How can they make the most of the next four years? And while high school students must consider these questions when choosing their school, HPU knows that parents are working alongside them, diligently searching for the same answers. Gain insight below from a current university parent who has experienced firsthand the opportunities that await you and your child at HPU.
Q. Why were you drawn to HPU?
A. In 2008, President Nido Qubein gave a talk at one of my company meetings in Raleigh, North Carolina. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. He discussed HPU and the changes the school had undergone. I continued to follow HPU over the next six years, and in 2014, when my eldest son and I were looking at schools, HPU was on the need-to-visit list. When we visited the university in the spring of 2014, we were extremely impressed by the campus, its environment and the people we met. There’s one thing I heard that day, and it’s still as memorable to me now as if it was said yesterday. During the tour, as our tour guide was driving us, I asked her if she could show us something mediocre. She stopped the golf cart, looked me in the eyes and said — “This is High Point University. We don’t have anything mediocre.” How accurate she was.
Q. Since attending HPU, have you seen positive changes or growth in your children?
A. I have seen many changes in both my sons. They have become more confident, more willing to take risks and much more willing to be involved in activities outside of the classroom and the university. Their life skills have been enhanced to a level that I didn’t expect. The excitement of my middle son when he started to work on a project with Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak translated into a desire to increase his academic performance. My eldest son becoming part of the Professional Sales Club and attending a Sales Competition while a sophomore took him out of his comfort zone, which he’s never re-entered. They’re accumulating a long list of life skills that will undoubtedly pay off when they begin their career searches.
Q. If there is one thing that sets HPU apart, what would it be?
A. While the facilities and grounds are unmatched, it’s the culture of HPU that sets the university apart from any other school we visited. My children have been able to receive their education surrounded by people who truly care about them both in and out of the classroom. Even more impressive is that this university cares about our family. I recently had a health scare that fortunately resulted in a positive ending. My children left quickly to get home, but prior to leaving HPU, visited their success coach to make him aware of the situation. Their success coach called me the next day in the hospital. After a very meaningful discussion, he told me that if anything happened, he would be there to look after my children. As my children’s only parent, I had a feeling of extreme relief. The culture of HPU attracts the best people who care about our children and our family.
Q. If you could offer advice to other HPU parents, what would it be?
A. My advice to all parents is to push your children to take advantage of the many activities that the university offers. What my sons have learned outside the classroom is equally as important as the academics. In addition, make sure your children are working with their success coach as frequently as possible. Parents should also get to know and be involved with their child’s coach — we consider my sons’ success coaches a part of our family.
Make the effort to know the administrators, and get involved by attending Family Weekends where you’ll get to know other parents.
I also recommend supporting the university however possible. The more you are involved, the more your children will benefit and grow into the adult you hope they become.
Q. What has been your most memorable experience on campus?
A. I have so many memorable experiences during the last four years. It is difficult to select just one. And, I am already looking forward to all of the memories I’ll build over the next four years when my next child joins the Class of 2022 in August. However, if forced to select only one, I would say my most memorable was my first Convocation in 2014. The pomp and circumstance was impressive, but also so personal. The students sitting together for the first time, the entrance of the faculty, the eagle’s flight, and at the end, Dr. Qubein telling parents it is time to leave and entrust their students with HPU. As usual, Dr. Qubein provided an impressive speech. The most memorable part of this day came at the conclusion of the ceremony when my son and I were saying goodbye. The university had done such a great job at preparing him over the months leading up to his arrival, and then the impressiveness of Convocation was added to that. At that point, he was so positive that HPU was where he belonged. He was ready for me to go home and to begin the process of his college education and his transformation into a successful adult.