Awards and Honors: November 2023

Dr. Heather Miller, associate professor of chemistry, was selected as one of eight new Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholars for 2023. Miller is the first HPU faculty member to receive this prestigious national award, which provides her with an unrestricted $75,000 grant to further her undergraduate research program for five years.

HIGH POINT, N.C., Nov. 27, 2023 – High Point University students, faculty and staff recently received the following academic and professional awards and recognitions.

 Professor Wins Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award

 Dr. Heather Miller, associate professor of chemistry, was selected as one of eight Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholars for 2023, the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation announced.

Miller is the first HPU faculty member to receive this prestigious national award, which recognizes talented, young faculty in the chemical sciences who have created an outstanding body of scholarship and are deeply committed to education with undergraduate students. The five-year award provides Miller with an unrestricted $75,000 grant to further her undergraduate research program, titled “Molecular Mechanisms Behind Small Molecule Adjuvants that Combat MRSA.”

Last fall, the National Institutes of Health awarded Miller and her team nearly $440,000 to continue research on antibiotic resistant bacteria for three more years. The NIH grant was the second of its kind to be awarded to HPU. Drs. Miller and Meghan Blackledge, associate professor of chemistry, first received funding on this project from the NIH grant in 2019.

The grant money is being used to help HPU undergraduate students conduct summer research and purchase new instrumentation, reagents and services for laboratories. The end goal is to develop novel treatments to combat persistent and antibiotic resistant bacterial infections.

“We are very proud of Dr. Miller receiving this recognition for her research accomplishments,” said Dr. Brian Augustine, dean of the Wanek School of Natural Sciences. “It is a testimony to the quality of her work, her students and her collaboration with Dr. Blackledge. This award reflects strongly on the culture of undergraduate research we have built in the Department of Chemistry.”

N.C. Campus Engagement Awards HPU Student for Community Impact   

North Carolina Campus Engagement (NCCE) recognized Osliany Mora-Morejon as the winner of the 2023 Community Impact Student Award (CISA) for HPU during the biennial NCCE Student Conference at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

Mora-Morejon, a sophomore criminal justice major and aspiring attorney, was selected because she has demonstrated a deep commitment to partnering with others to address community issues and an exceptional ability to lead and inspire fellow students to engage. She was born in Cuba and raised in High Point.

Since its establishment in 2006, the CISA has celebrated students who exhibit an unwavering commitment to addressing community issues and a remarkable ability to lead and inspire others.

As a Bonner Leader, Mora-Morejon has taken on many roles to help the community. She has served as treasurer in the Bonner Leader program and as site leader at D-Up, Inc., a nonprofit organization that promotes health, physical education and life readiness for children and families in the Greater High Point area. Collaborating closely with the organization’s executive director, Mora-Morejon embarked on a mission to address personalized nutritional needs for approximately 50 families weekly. She initiated partnerships between student clubs like Never Interrupt Happiness and D-Up to focus on mental health and wellness initiatives among low-income minority children. She is also an executive council member of the HPU chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

“It’s important to understand and meet the true needs of the organizations and members of this community,” said Mora-Morejon. “I want to enable them to thrive by meeting the needs of the children, adults and families of High Point. I don’t like to take credit because I think this is a community effort, but being consistent and passionately serving is the way I show my dedication to my community.”

Mora-Morejon said it’s exhilarating to be recognized for a prestigious award, and she knows a few of the recipients from prior years whose work created community improvements.

“Although it’s exciting, it reminds me that the work is not over and that I want to continue to serve, advocate and learn more about my community,” said Mora-Morejon. “In the future, I desire to address these social justice issues through advocacy in policy making through my platform as a lawyer.”

HPU Leadership Fellows Serve Community Needs 

HPU Siegfried Leadership Fellows donated more than 1,200 pairs of socks to Open Door Ministries, which operates a shelter for homeless men and serves people in need in the High Point community.

The sock donation campaign was led by the Siegfried Leadership Fellows, who were challenged to do acts of service for others as part of a class assignment from Dr. Tina Sayuri Johnson, executive director of Siegfried Leadership Fellows and an associate professor of leadership studies in the Stout School of Education.

“They were elated to receive our donation,” Johnson said.

Scott R. Ialacci Jr., a freshman from New York City, said he saw the sock drive as an opportunity to aid those who are less fortunate.

“While community service has always been very important in my life, helping with this event showed me this is something I want to continue even after I graduate,” said Ialacci. “I also noticed something about the people donating. Whenever they dropped a pair of socks in my bag, they smiled, almost as if giving that small act of kindness made their day. I learned that everyone at High Point University, not just the Leadership Fellows, values giving back to the community.”

Ivan Huffman, director of advancement at Open Door Ministries, said the sock donation from HPU’s Siegfried Leadership Fellows gives a layer of comfort and support to those in need.

“ODM provides more than meals, shelter or in this case socks – we provide hope,” said Huffman. “Hope that tomorrow will be better than today and that, with a little assistance, anything is possible. For those suffering from chronic homelessness or hunger, a simple conversation or pair of socks is all someone may need to feel better about their situation. As the cold weather starts to enter our region, this donation provides our guests with an amazing feeling of comfort and belonging. We offer a special thank you to Siegfried Leadership Fellows for arranging this donation and all those that donated to help those in need.”