HPU Announces 2025 Elizabeth Miller Strickland Trailblazer Award
High Point University presented Class of 2025 alumna Owee Kirpekar with the fifth annual Elizabeth Miller Strickland Trailblazer Award. Pictured from left in the first row were Raegan Koon, Owee Kirpekar and Sierra Basara. In middle row were Carly Smith, Sofie Smith, Cynthia “Cinny” Strickland Graham, Lena Hetrick and Emma Longboat. In top row were Bestina Bestman, Mary Kate Hewitt and Chloe Cox.
HIGH POINT, N.C., March 20, 2025 – High Point University presented Class of 2025 alumna Owee Kirpekar with the fifth annual Elizabeth Miller Strickland Trailblazer Award.
The award was established by Elizabeth Miller Strickland in August 2020 as part of her $12 million gift to HPU. Each year, the award goes to a graduating female student who epitomizes hard work, passion for service, perseverance and determination. The recipient and each of the nine finalists receive a monetary award and recognition for their extraordinary accomplishments as community pioneers.
Kirpekar graduated from HPU in May with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry. She is now a first-year medical student at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. At age 14, she lost her mother to a rare uterine cancer and wants to provide the same care and compassion to other patients that was shown to her mother after her diagnosis. As a physician, Kirpekar aspires to advocate for more research on gynecologic diseases and cancers to improve women’s health care.
“Professionally, I envision contributing meaningfully to the field of academic medicine through clinical research while delivering quality health care to my patients,” she said.
Throughout her time at HPU, Kirpekar was an excellent student who received a Natural Sciences Fellows Scholarship and a Presidential Founders Full Tuition Scholarship. As a student, she worked as a medical assistant and rotated between five hematology-oncology locations. While working as an oncology medical assistant, she witnessed firsthand the need for empowering women to advocate for their medical needs and wants to equip them with the basics of preventative care. She also aspires to organize educational events for women in underserved areas to help them understand how to catch cancer and other diseases in the early stages. She wants to work at a research hospital and help further novel treatments for patients.
Dr. Meghan Blackledge, an associate professor of chemistry and director of HPU’s Natural Science Fellows, supported Kirpekar’s nomination for the Trailblazer Award. She recalled being so impressed after meeting Kirpekar as a prospective student touring campus that Blackledge urged HPU’s admissions team to award the student a scholarship to attend the university.
“What sets Owee apart from her counterparts is her quiet confidence and determination,” Blackledge said. “Many pre-med students are cutthroat and reticent to help others; Owee is the exact opposite. While she never bragged about her high grades, she was always happy to help others understand the concepts and problems. I regularly paired her with students who were struggling significantly or who had anxiety about working in groups with others. Owee’s soft-spoken manner and careful, patient manner would often help students open up to her about where they were struggling or what they didn’t understand.”
Outside the classroom, Kirpekar was active in conducting research with Blackledge and Dr. Heather Miller, an associate professor of chemistry. They examined the use of loratadine, a widely used antihistamine and the active ingredient in Claritin, to prevent infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Kirpekar presented research at the 2023 and 2024 National Spring American Chemical Society Conferences. She also worked full-time during her summer breaks to continue MRSA biofilms studies and ensure the data she generated was included in a published manuscript in “ACS Infectious Diseases” journal.
During her time on campus, Kirpekar served in several roles with the student chapter of the Alpha Chi Sigma (ACS) chemistry fraternity, including as its president. She was also an annual Presidential Scholars Interview Committee member and competitive rower with Tri-Star. She served as a research intern at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and participated in a two-week medical explorations program at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, where she shadowed gynecologic oncology and general surgery.
In addition, Kirpekar participated in HPU Mobile Lab events to present science demonstrations for middle-schoolers. She helped lead events at the High Point YWCA, Presbyterian Church of the Covenant’s Annual Trunk-or-Treat and the Nido and Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum.
“Through these endeavors, I hope to inspire young students to pursue STEM and educate them about resources that may be available to them as they take their next steps toward furthering their education,” Kirpekar said. “I believe that prioritizing equity in this manner is crucial to building strong advocates of tomorrow.”
Recipients of the prestigious Strickland Trailblazer Award are granted a $5,000 cash prize to support their transition from undergraduate student to young professional. Award guidelines require recipients to donate a portion of their prize to a charitable organization.
“HPU students never fail to be extraordinary,” HPU President Nido Qubein said. “The Strickland Trailblazer Award nominees exemplify the excellence housed within our esteemed university. Owee Kirpekar has shown an inextinguishable enthusiasm for academics, advocacy and service. Her innovation and leadership reflect not only the values of HPU but those of Mrs. Strickland.”
Top 10 Strickland Trailblazer Finalists
In addition to Kirpekar, the other Trailblazer Award finalists included:
- Sierra Basara, a Class of 2025 alumna who double majored in psychology and studio art and currently works as a registered behavioral technician in Clemmons, North Carolina
- Bestina Bestman, a Class of 2025 alumna who earned her Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice with minor in political science
- Chloe Cox, a Class of 2025 alumna and Presidential Founders Scholar who majored in biochemistry and is pursuing a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry at the University of Minnesota
- Lena Hetrick, a Class of 2025 alumna who earned her Bachelor of Science in neuroscience and Bachelor of Arts in French and Francophone Studies and is currently working a summer neuroscience internship at McKnight Brain Institute in Gainesville, Florida
- Mary Kate Hewitt, a Class of 2025 alumna who majored in interior design with a minor in visual merchandising design and is pursuing her master’s degree in architecture at the University of Virginia
- Raegan Koon, a Class of 2025 alumna who earned her B.S. in neuroscience
- Emma Longboat, a Class of 2025 alumna who earned her B.A. in music and is working as a music teacher at Oak Ridge Military Academy
- Carly Smith, a Class of 2024 alumna who earned her B.S. in exercise science and is pursuing her Ph.D. in physical therapy at the University of Delaware
- Sofie Smith, a Class of 2025 alumna who earned her B.A. in philosophy and religion.
HPU Hosts Strickland Women’s Leadership Summit
HPU hosted the Fourth Annual Elizabeth Miller Strickland Women’s Leadership Summit, giving students an opportunity to be mentored by women who have started their own companies and served as chief executives for major corporations.
The Strickland Summit is an annual event held by the Strickland Women’s Leadership Council and LIFT Fellowship Program, featuring a keynote address. The event aims to inspire attendees by sharing the late Elizabeth Strickland’s belief that the empowerment of women in business and leadership is a life skill worth pursuing.
“The Strickland Trailblazer Award celebrates the importance of women’s leadership by recognizing outstanding High Point University students who lead with purpose, serve with passion and make meaningful impact,” said Dr. Rhonda Butler, assistant professor of leadership and director of the Strickland Women’s LIFT Fellowship. “We are grateful for the vision of Mrs. Elizabeth Miller Strickland and the commitment of Cinny Strickland Graham and the Strickland Women’s Leadership Council for creating this extraordinary opportunity that celebrates our remarkable students and propels them into their next chapter of leadership as graduates of High Point University.”
Raissa Gerona, chief brand officer at Revolve and co-founder of Alliance Apparel, served as the keynote speaker during the summit. She was credited for her role in reshaping digital marketing. While participating in a Q&A with Noelia Velazquez, a Class of 2028 LIFT scholar, Gerona said she simply followed her instincts by trying new marketing strategies for her vintage clothing product years earlier when Instagram was developing at the same time social media influencers were known as bloggers.
“This university is definitely shaping the next generation of leaders,” Gerona said. “When tasked with a job, your instincts are important to tell you what’s next. Follow your gut and know it’s OK to make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes become something really powerful.”
Although shy and reserved in high school, Meredith Russell, a rising junior biochemistry major on the pre-dental track, developed leadership skills and confidence after coming to HPU and getting involved on campus.
“Part of the reason I came here was because of the Strickland Women’s LIFT Fellowship,” said Russell, who is from Gastonia, North Carolina.