With another successful Commencement behind us, recent High Point University graduates are kicking off prestigious career paths around the world at Fortune 500 companies, international service programs, public school systems, top-tier law, medical and graduate school programs, and many other esteemed organizations thanks to their journey at HPU. Here’s a glimpse of one extraordinary senior from the Class of 2019:
Name: Livy Beaner
Hometown: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Major: Communication with a focus on electronic media productions and a minor in journalism
Post-graduation plans: Beaner joins Spectrum News as a digital associate producer in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her responsibilities include writing articles for the website, managing social media and editing content submitted by reporters for the website.
How HPU helped you get there: “HPU taught me how to network. I learned to never write someone off and to get to know people no matter where I go. On a deeper level, the growth mindset I learned at HPU is really what landed me this job. During my application process, I realized that I was looking at situations and rejections in a different light than I had before. I saw each interview and job opportunity as a way to grow. I was aware of the fact that I still had more to learn. By changing my perspective, I grasped that every situation, positive or negative, is a way to grow into who I want to be.”
Most impactful mentor at HPU: “I wouldn’t say that one person really mentored more than another, but there are several individuals who inspired me in different ways. Professor Michele Johnson-Huffman had a huge impact on how I viewed my role in society and how I viewed myself. When I had her for English my freshman year, I had no idea how much of an influence she would have on me. I took every class I could with her because I felt like I could learn more from her beyond the course material. Through her classes, I was encouraged to self-reflect and was constantly challenged personally and intellectually. I would also say that the professors in the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication were a huge guiding force in helping me to discover my career. While I learned things from different people, Professors Joe Michaels, Jim Goodman, Rob Powell, Ken Medlin and Kristina Bell are phenomenal and absolutely broadened my knowledge base, giving me the skills and confidence to move forward with my career.”
Most impactful moment at HPU: “Freshman year I was absolutely lost. I had no idea of the direction I wanted to take with my life, but I had four years to figure it out. My mom encouraged me to go to a meeting for the National Broadcasting Society, and that was when my college experience changed. From that meeting on, I fell in love with the student-run reporting station, HPU News. I went from knowing nothing about a newsroom to being the producer in my second semester of junior year. Without HPU News and the amazing people who helped make it happen, I wouldn’t have found myself in love with the news industry.”
Advice for underclassmen: “It’s very simple really: Be kind to everyone. Keep an open mind and keep your sights set on your goals. Just because you aren’t exactly where you want to be at this very moment doesn’t mean that you aren’t on the path to get there. Enjoy where you are now while looking forward to the future. College goes by so fast. You never know who you’re going to meet and who’s going to influence the person you become. Spread love and positivity, take chances, live in the moment and you won’t look back and wish you were still in college.”