This story is featured in the Spring 2019 edition of the HPU Magazine. Discover below how one of HPU’s caring students serves the community.
Junior Radu Grecu is a ‘SAY YES’ Scholar and a Bonner Leader
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A conversation with his High Point University admissions counselor set the stage for Radu Grecu’s success in serving his community.
As a high school senior, HPU and Duke University were Grecu’s top choices for college. When his HPU counselor told him he’d be a great fit for the Say Yes to Education program — a program through which HPU provides scholarships to students from Guilford County who demonstrate need but want to give back — Grecu knew HPU’s values aligned with his.
“I look back and think, ‘What if I had never talked to my HPU admissions counselor?” says Grecu. “What if I hadn’t received this scholarship? What would I be doing instead?”
But Grecu did receive the scholarship, and Grecu is at HPU helping many throughout the city of High Point.
Values-Based Learning
Say Yes scholars also become members of the HPU Bonner Leader Program, a four-year program that puts students at the front-lines of change.
The Bonner Leader Program promotes leadership development in students through participation in the civic responsibility and social innovation degree program. They also connect other HPU students to service projects in the community.
As a Bonner, Grecu was connected to the Macedonia Family Resource Center in High Point. There, he serves as the organization’s director of fundraising and works under the executive director.
And that makes sense. Grecu is an actuarial science major with minors in psychology and statistics. His responsibilities include organizing events and fundraising efforts by reaching out to community partners.
“What I think is most influential about my scholarship is that it’s connected to the Bonner Program,” says Grecu. “You get the most out of your education when you give back to the community.”
Macedonia received a grant to purchase a van to pick up elementary school students and bring them to the center. Grecu helped initiate this afterschool program, which allows the children to work on their homework until their parents pick them up.
“Our after-school care program not only helps busy parents in the community, it also gives students the chance to work one-on-one with HPU Bonners, which gives them a chance to ask complex questions and learn at their own pace,” says Grecu.
Engaging Students In Service
Grecu’s work with the elementary students and other community members gives him an inside look at what the community is like.
“Working at Macedonia has increased my communication skills with the community and has allowed me to see what people go through each day,” says Grecu.
Grecu has become a “community connector.” He connects HPU students to the community and vice versa. That’s what landed him a spot as community service chair for his fraternity, Sigma Nu.
“By working at Macedonia, I’m an ambassador for the university,” says Grecu. “Community members are learning about the university through me, just like I’m learning about the community through them.”
Lasting Impact
Grecu looks forward to connecting his colleagues with the community through events at Macedonia. He has two years until his Bonner capstone project is due. The capstone project is an organized effort that will become a permanent practice at the organization where each Bonner serves.
“I want my capstone project to be related to the fundraising or accounting sides of Macedonia,” says Grecu. “I want to set up some sort of service that will help them in the future, whether it be requesting grants or organizing fundraising efforts. I want people to step into my role and be able to continue the work.”
He wants his service to have a lasting impact in the community, just like it has had on his life. Grecu wants to pursue a career in corporate finance or insurance in a bigger city. He wants to explore community grassroots efforts that may be different than the High Point area.
“This opportunity at HPU has molded me into who I am today and what I want to do with my life and career,” says Grecu. “I would not have been able to see or pursue my passions if it wasn’t for this opportunity.”