HPU Awards and Honors: April 2026

High Point University student entrepreneurs Evan Taylor and Brianna Stinespring, who co-founded Parkevo to make parking lot searches easier, placed second in the semi-final round during e-Fest 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

HIGH POINT, N.C., April 30, 2026 – High Point University students, faculty and staff recently completed service projects and received the following academic and professional awards.

HPU Student Entrepreneurs Among Top Finalists for e-Fest 2026

Two student entrepreneurs who co-founded Parkevo, a business designed to make campus parking lot searches easier for drivers, were among the Top 25 student startup teams selected as finalists for e-Fest 2026, where they competed on a national stage in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They earned second place in the semi-final round of the Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge, finishing just behind the company that advanced to the national finals.

During the three-day event in late April, teams pitched their ventures, engaged with mentors and judges, and competed for a share of $250,000 in cash prizes, the largest prize pool in the competition’s 10-year history. The HPU student co-founders won $4,000 in the national competition, in addition to winning first-place and $12,000 in startup funds when they pitched their business plan to judges in a competition on campus April 8. The team’s advisor was Lou Anne Flanders-Stec, dean of the David S. Congdon School of Entrepreneurship and professor of the practice of entrepreneurship.

Parkevo is a real-time parking visibility platform built for campuses, using artificial intelligence cameras and computer vision to show drivers exactly where open spaces are before they arrive. Evan Taylor, a finance major and entrepreneurship minor, had an overall vision for Parkevo and leads its business strategy, investor relations and go-to market. Brianna Stinespring, a social media and digital communications major, leads product development, outreach, growth, brand and digital efforts for Parkevo.

“Standing in a room full of seasoned entrepreneurs and founders who’ve built and scaled companies and being recognized at that level was amazing,” said Taylor, who is from Atlanta, Georgia. “The most valuable part wasn’t the funding itself; it was the feedback. Every conversation, every pitch round, and every judge’s question gave us tools we couldn’t have gotten anywhere else. We walked out with a clearer roadmap for taking Parkevo to its next stage than we walked in with.”

The $4,000 in funding will primarily support the backend development the student entrepreneurs need to bring their pilot live to HPU this fall.

“Just as importantly, the recognition itself gives Parkevo credibility going into conversations with universities, partners and future investors,” Taylor said. “It signals that this isn’t a student side project, it’s a validated, nationally recognized startup with real momentum behind it.”

Stinespring launched the company’s website and its Instagram account.

“What’s been most exciting about Parkevo is how much we’ve been able to build in such a short amount of time,” said Stinespring, who is from Bel Air, Maryland. “In just a few months, we’ve gone from an idea to a validated concept, a live website, a growing audience and now a national stage. The momentum has been incredible, and we’re just getting started.”

HPU’s American Marketing Association Chapter Places Third in the Nation

The American Marketing Association (AMA) International Collegiate Conference saw HPU’s AMA team place third in the nation in the Case Competition, sponsored by Major League Baseball and Deloitte Consulting in Chicago March 12-14. The AMA ICC was attended by nearly 2,000 students from 100 different schools – including international chapters.

Only about 10 finalists are chosen each year to present in person at the International Collegiate Conference (ICC). This is the second time an AMA team from HPU has placed this high internationally. Reaching the finals of the AMA Collegiate Case Competition is highly difficult, as finalists are selected from hundreds of participating chapters nationwide. To qualify, chapters must advance through a rigorous initial round that requires the submission of a comprehensive, 20-plus page written marketing plan.

“Nerves and energy were both prominently on display as judges representing both sponsors – Major League Baseball and Deloitte Consulting – received presentations from each of the teams making this year’s Case Competition finals,” said John Carlisle, assistant professor of marketing. “To add to the teams’ pressure, senior executives from the American Marketing Association also attended many of the presentations. In the end, teams were complemented by both MLB and Deloitte for the high level of creativity, strategic thinking and professionalism competitors brought to the event. As the principal client, MLB walked away with a number of impactful ideas that can be implemented (in the short term) to address real marketing and business challenges they are facing.”

HPU Circle K Club Earns Most Service Awards in the Carolinas

The HPU Circle K Club won the most awards of any club from schools throughout North and South Carolina when its officers attended the Carolinas District Kiwanis and Circle K Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Feb. 20-22 conference connected student attendees with other college and university Circle K clubs, as well as larger community Kiwanis groups in the Carolinas. Students attended panels about leadership and service as well as an awards luncheon and reception.

Among the winners was Lillie Wilson, a junior biochemistry major, who received the Distinguished Club President Award.

“Receiving these honors at DCON meant so much to me personally and to our entire Circle K chapter at HPU,” said Wilson, who is from Columbus, Ohio. “It felt like a celebration of the time and passion our members put into serving the community all year long. More than anything, it showed that the impact we’re making—both locally and globally—is truly changing lives for the better. For our club, it was a reminder of what can be accomplished when a group of students comes together with a shared commitment to serve others.”

Through hosting the Miss HPU Pageant this school year, the HPU Circle K Club donated nearly $31,000 to support UNICEF’s Brick x Brick Project. The Brick x Brick initiative is Circle K International’s partnership with UNICEF that supports a women‑led recycling economy in Côte d’Ivoire. Local plastic waste is collected and transformed into durable, low‑cost plastic bricks, which are used to build safe, sustainable classrooms for the 1.6 million children—mostly girls—who are currently out of school. The project not only provides education spaces, but also reduces plastic pollution, creates income opportunities for women and helps UNICEF provide teacher training, school supplies and improved hygiene resources in these communities.

Over the past few years, HPU’s CKI Club has raised more than $100,000 for the Brick x Brick initiative, contributing to the construction of three schools.

“Knowing that our campus and community came together to make that possible is one of the things we’re most proud of,” Wilson said.

In addition to awards for outstanding service, the club also earned the Herbert W. Hennig Single Service Award for fundraising the most money of any NC Circle K Clubs with the Miss HPU Pageant, which raised funds for the Kiwanis Brick by Brick endeavor; Distinguished Club Treasurer Award recognizing Erikah Freeman; and Distinguished Club President Award recognizing Lillie Wilson.

A key feature of Circle K clubs is their work with local Kiwanis chapters. The HPU circle is deeply linked with the High Point Kiwanis club through their Kiwanis Advisor Joan Campbell. Recognizing this link, the HPU Circle nominated Campbell for the James G. Griffin Kiwanis Advisor Award which she won. The success of these awards highlights the important impact HPU’s Circle K has both on campus and in the community which mirror the values of the HPU community.

Student Poetry Awarded in College Media Contest

Paige Osche, a senior majoring in English and French with a minor in creative writing, won third place in poetry at this year’s North Carolina College Media Awards contest for student writers.

“This award isn’t just about the poem itself, but it is motivation and validation to continue writing,” said Osche, who is from Charlton, Massachusetts. “So many writers get to a point in their lives where they feel like maybe they don’t measure up, or they become too self-critical, but getting this award proves to me that my poetry moved someone. That is enough for me to continue writing for years to come, and not just for me, but for the people I can connect with.”

Literary magazines from around the state were judged for their artistic merit, and awards were presented on March 9 at an event featuring the magazine her work was published in and other student writers.

“Since 2013, HPU students have received 12 awards, including Paige’s this year,” said Dr. Charmaine Cadeau, associate professor of English. “Paige’s poem was recognized for its excellence by media faculty members from across the state.”