Sophia Cina, a junior biology major from Las Vegas, published her first book, “Not Smart, Driven,” a memoir and guide available on Amazon Prime for anyone seeking to rewrite their own story.
HIGH POINT, N.C., April 17, 2025 – High Point University students, faculty and staff recently completed service projects and received the following academic and professional awards.
Student Publishes Memoir
Sophia Cina, a junior biology major from Las Vegas, has published her first book, “Not Smart, Driven,” a memoir and guide available on Amazon Prime for anyone seeking to rewrite their own story. She recently hosted a book signing on campus.
Cina currently serves as president of the Elizabeth Miller Strickland Women’s L.I.F.T. Fellowship. During the third annual L.I.F.T. Awards banquet last April, she received the organization’s annual award for the Most Outstanding Sophomore.
“Not Smart, Driven” is proof that success isn’t about being the smartest person in the room; it’s about having the passion and determination to work harder than anyone else,” Cina said. Her book provides readers with practical lessons and insights gained from her journey as well as a call to action for them. She emphasizes the power of mindset, consistency and drive to transform any obstacle into an opportunity.
“In ‘Not Smart, Driven,’ I share my life story — a testament to how sheer determination can propel you beyond the limits of natural intelligence,” Cina said. “The first half of this memoir dives into defining moments that shaped me, including being recognized as one of the top-producing sales reps for Origami Owl, a nationwide direct sales company, and speaking on stage to inspire others. I reflect on the honor of delivering my high school graduation speech, where I recited my original poem, ‘High School Graduation,’ to 5,000 attendees at the MGM Arena in Las Vegas. These achievements even caught the attention of Dr. Nido Qubein, president of High Point University, who invited me to speak at convocation for my incoming class.”
English Professor Edits Fairy Tale Book Collection
Dr. Laura Alexander, associate professor of English, recently edited a book collection that brings together multiple adaptations of fairy tales from around the world.
The book, “Fairy Tales as Social Critique in Adaptations by Women Writers,” includes academic essays about adaptations written by poet Anne Sexton and novelists Angela Carter and Emma Donoghue, as well as other writers who created new fairy tales from older ones.
“The essays in this collection consider the way women writers rewrite mythologies inherited from the past, charting the decline of aristocratic systems and entrenched class systems,” Alexander said. “Fairy tales continue to reach new audiences, and how we tell these stories matter. The essays in this book particularly consider the significance of fairy tales to marginalized communities.”
The 182-page book was published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing and is available on Amazon.
Student Selected as Semifinalist in Interior Design Competition
Emma Lupo, a senior interior design major, was recently named as a semifinalist in the American Society of Interior Designers’ (ASID) student competition. Her portfolio was reviewed by professionals.
“It has provided me with a significant step forward in my design career, especially at a pivotal time as I transition into my post-graduate years and into the professional world,” said Lupo, who is from Howell, New Jersey. “This organization has connected me with numerous influential individuals, and I know these connections will continue to support me throughout my career, offering valuable networking opportunities, mentors and fellow designers. Being chosen as a semifinalist has renewed my confidence in my abilities and reassured me that the hard work and dedication I’ve invested in my studies over the past four years is starting to pay off.”
The ASID is a nonprofit organization that promotes the interior design profession. It has 43 chapters across the U.S. and Canada and approximately 5,500 student members.
Alumnus Publishes Book About Tennis
HPU alumnus Lane Evans, a tennis and golf performance specialist with more than 55 years of experience playing and teaching tennis, recently published a book titled “A Tennis Life: Tales From the Ad Court.” He is currently the head tennis coach at Westchester Country Day School and president of Lane Evans Tennis and Golf Performance in High Point.
Evans, a former HPU tennis player, was named the U.S. Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Professional of the Year in 2021. He shares his extensive background and unique approach to coaching the sport in his book, which is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle versions. In it, he discusses his unwavering passion for teaching, exercise routines and his new challenges coaching high school tennis teams. He describes his book as a collection of life stories with a tennis twist.
Proceeds from “A Tennis Life: Tales From the Ad Court” will go to help support junior tennis in North Carolina.
“This book was truly a labor of love,” said Evans. “From growing up in High Point playing junior tennis to playing for HPU to the USPTA Tour and then to teaching tennis, my career stayed busy. ‘A Tennis Life: Tales from the Ad Court’ is a story book. Sure, there are tennis overtones, but it is full of little gold nuggets of life lessons if you pan for them between the lines. It’s a fun read. Those who remember what High Point College looked like many years ago will get a kick out of a few of the stories.”
Evans completed his bachelor’s degree in English and graduated from HPU in 2010. He has served on the USPTA board of directors and chaired the USPTA National Sports Science and Southern Education committees.
Alumnus’ Book Explores Anthony Burgess and America
Dr. Christopher W. Thurley, a Class of 2009 HPU alumnus who is an English faculty member at Gaston College in Dallas, North Carolina, recently published “Anthony Burgess and America.”
The 440-page book is a biographical and critical analysis of Burgess’s relationship with and commentary on the U.S. Published by Manchester University Press, the book evaluates the American inspirations in five of Burgess’ novels. The result is a complex personal and public history about one of Britain’s greatest 20th century authors’ interactions with American culture. For the first time, Burgess’s American experiences, work and documented communication, lectures, interviews and public statements are brought together to assess where these commentaries overlapped with his fiction.
Thurley earned his bachelor’s degree in English from HPU. His dissertation, funded by the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, was on Burgess’s life and work. Thurley has published three academic articles on Burgess, and he is working on two Burgess and Shakespeare projects that were funded by the American Council of Learned Societies’ (ACLS) Community College Faculty Research Fellowship in association with the Folger Shakespeare Library.
Originally from Rochester, New York, Thurley lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife, Julia, an elementary school teacher, his daughter, Sasha, and his son, Leo.
Scouts Appoint Taylor to National Position
Bradley Taylor, a Class of 2013 dual degree alumnus who serves as senior director for student experience in HPU’s Office of Student Life, was recently appointed as Alumni Communities Lead with the Scouting Alumni Association, a national position that is part of Scouting America (formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America).
“I am honored to be selected for this national leadership opportunity with Scouting Alumni to build connections and rekindle memories,” Taylor said. “The national Scouting America organization has a 115-year history with millions of alumni around the world — a powerful network for career networking, brand ambassadorship, volunteering with youth in local communities and giving back philanthropically.”
Taylor has been a member of the Scouting program for more than 25 years. He became an Eagle Scout in 2005 and has since served at nearly every level of the organization. He joined the Scouting Alumni National Committee in 2020 as a member of the Council Support Subcommittee and has since served as the Curriculum and Program Lead for the inaugural National Gathering of Alumni, and the creator and editor of the Alumni Connection video podcast series.
Currently, Taylor’s primary focus is to increase and strengthen the engagement of Scouting Alumni through shared careers, interests and affiliations. He is the assistant council commissioner for Scouting America’s Old Hickory Council, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the current president of the Camp Raven Knob Historical Association.
Taylor also serves as an elected councilmember for Clemmons, North Carolina.