Noelia Velazquez, a sophomore journalism major from Greenville, North Carolina, was crowned Miss Teen All American during the 2025 pageant on Aug. 2 in Charleston, South Carolina.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Sept. 4, 2025 – High Point University students, faculty and staff recently completed service projects and received the following academic and professional awards.
HPU Sophomore Crowned Miss Teen All American
Noelia Velazquez, a sophomore journalism major from Greenville, North Carolina, was crowned Miss Teen All American during the 2025 pageant.
Velazquez won her division during the national finals on Aug. 2 in Charleston, South Carolina. The pageant competition included wardrobe events and a candid mental health Q&A. She runs a social media platform called “Girl Strong by Noe” and a digital interview series called “Girl Talk by Noe” in which Velazquez aims to empower and inspire young girls.
“This honor is especially meaningful as the Miss All American Pageant is known for its legacy of shaping future leaders, and I am proud to bring this national title home to Greenville, North Carolina,” Velazquez said. “I look forward to using this platform to continue my community service, inspire young women and represent with pride.”
Miss Teen All American is a division of the Miss All American pageant, founded in 1979.
At HPU, Velazquez serves as a campus ambassador and a Class of 2028 scholar in the Strickland LIFT Fellowship Program. She moderated a Q&A with Raissa Gerona, chief brand officer at Revolve and co-founder of Alliance Apparel, at the Fourth Annual Elizabeth Miller Strickland Women’s Leadership Summit in March. She is also an anchor for HPU Vision, the university’s student-led news program.
Biochemistry Student to Compete in Ironman World Championship
Zach Workman, a senior biochemistry major who plans to attend medical school, has qualified to compete on Sept. 14 at the Ironman World Championships in Nice, France.
In addition to being an athlete, Workman is involved in undergraduate research at HPU and serves as president of the Pre-Med Society and a Natural Sciences Fellow. He also volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“This process has fundamentally reshaped my perspective on achieving large goals,” said Workman, who is from Wilmore, Kentucky. “I’ve learned that the path to something extraordinary isn’t paved with grand, single actions, but with the quiet consistency of mastering small, daily disciplines. As I look ahead to medical school and my goal of becoming a transplant surgeon, I am confident that this mindset of focusing on each lecture, each lab skill and each patient interaction as a critical component of the whole will be my greatest asset. It’s about building a foundation of excellence, one detail at a time.”
Workman has experience as a certified nursing assistant in diverse healthcare settings, including long-term care, assisted living and rehabilitation facilities in Lexington, Kentucky, and the city of High Point.
“Having Zach as an advisee and student in multiple upper-level classes, I know what a bright and engaged student he is,” said Dr. Kelsey Kean, assistant professor of chemistry. “I am always impressed to learn about the things he is involved in outside of academics, whether volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters or working with hospice or spending time with his niece. But I was amazed to learn that he is also a world-class athlete and has earned the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete on the international stage at the Ironman World Championships.”
HPU Alumnus Alex G. Nelson Recognized by Forbes
Alex G. Nelson, a Class of 2015 alumnus who now works as a financial advisor for Edward Jones, was named to the 2025 ranking of Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors Best-in-State in North Carolina by Forbes and SHOOK Research.
“I’m incredibly proud of this honor. I believe in building long-term relationships with clients to help them navigate every life stage and all market cycles,” Nelson said. “As a member of the younger generation of financial advisors, I plan to be here for my clients for many years to come.”
While at HPU, Nelson was president of his class, a university ambassador, a resident assistant and a member of the Board of Stewards and the Nido R. Qubein Student Advisory Board. He made the Dean’s List every semester and landed a prestigious internship with Caterpillar, Inc. in Clayton, North Carolina, where he is from originally. After graduation, he joined the Durham office of Edward Jones, a leading North American financial services firm with more than 20,000 financial advisors.
Now living in Hillsborough, North Carolina, Nelson and his wife have one child and are expecting another baby in October.
Faculty Serve on Careers Panel
Three HPU faculty members recently served on a careers panel hosted by the High Point Housing Authority as part of its Summer Enrichment Program for local middle and high school students. The panel featured seven professionals in total.
The three faculty members from HPU included Dr. Nahed Eltantawy, dean of the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication; Dr. Alexis Best-Rhodes, assistant professor in the Teresa B. Caine School of Nursing; and Dr. Jazmin Cromartie-Hicks, clinical assistant professor and director of student admissions and engagement for the Workman School of Dental Medicine.
“Each panelist introduced their profession and area of expertise, and then students rotated in small groups to speak with us individually,” Eltantawy said. “These one-on-one conversations gave students a chance to ask questions about our fields and to learn more about the majors offered in our respective schools.”