DePaz-Lopez, of Hickory, graduated from the Walker College of Business with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in general marketing. He attended classes at the App State Hickory and Boone campuses and is a graduate of Challenger Early College High School, where he earned his associate degree through a partnership with Catawba Valley Community College.

“The Hickory campus has been great,” he said. “I really enjoy the one-on-one support the professors provide. That’s definitely one of the biggest advantages.”

DePaz-Lopez, a first-generation graduate, described getting through college as “breaking a barrier” — a reflection of the hardships his parents faced after moving to the United States from Mexico as teenagers.

“It means a lot,” he said. “My family comes from a poor background, and they have worked so hard. To break that cycle is an amazing feeling, and I want to help my family.”

DePaz-Lopez said he chose to pursue a career in marketing because of its versatility and its ability to connect with his interests, which include music and the entertainment industry. He currently works for EastCoast Entertainment, where he developed his own talent production agency to create a comedy show that reaches Latin communities across North Carolina.

“We essentially find the talent to incorporate into our show and then create a marketing plan to build interest,” he said. “It’s more of a side hustle, but I really enjoy putting time into it.”

DePaz-Lopez had offers for two full-time jobs lined up before graduation and plans to pursue a marketing and sales representative position with MZGC in Asheville.

He shared that one of his greatest memories of his time at App State is his recent study abroad trip to Finland and Estonia over the summer.

“What I took away from that experience was how important it is to keep an open mind,” he said. “Working with new people — even in a completely different environment — teaches you so much and pushes you to grow.”

DePaz-Lopez said other fond memories come from his time as a member of the Latin Hispanic Alliance and from the love and support he received from the App State Community — especially after he totaled his car in an accident. He said he “was never alone throughout the process and that someone is always willing to help when it comes to being a Mountaineer.”

For future first-generation students, he offered this advice: “All it takes is a start. Put gas into it and don’t stop. If you’re debating whether to go to college, just go. At the end of the day, you’ll be thankful you went through the process. Even if you struggle at first, you’ll come out stronger.”

Rand, of Clayton, graduated from the Beaver College of Health Sciences, earning her Master of Science in nutrition with a concentration in public health nutrition. She earned her Bachelor of Science in nutrition and dietetics from Radford University.

Rand enrolled in App State Online so that she could balance graduate studies with her full-time job as a clinical dietitian at the WakeMed Raleigh Campus.

“I decided on App State for my master’s degree because their willingness to work with my schedule gave me the necessary flexibility to manage a full-time career,” she said. “It’s been challenging, of course, but I’ve been able to balance work, complete my assignments and still have time for myself. The flexibility has been great.”

Rand said she chose her career because of her desire to help others, combined with her passion for food and nutrition — a passion that is already making an impact.

Her capstone research project, developed in collaboration with her colleague Kara Gantt, is in the process of becoming a new standard of quality care across the WakeMed health system. The project is focused on updating a preexisting policy on NPO (nothing by mouth) guidelines for patients prior to surgical procedures.

“We have been working to decrease the length of time that patients are NPO (withholding foods and fluids) to help reduce the risk of nutrition deficits and malnutrition and to optimize recovery time after procedures,” explained Rand. “We’re trying to implement this in real-world settings and are working with administration and providers. It’s still a work in progress.”

At App State, Rand said Dr. Kate Hoy, assistant professor in the nutrition and foods program, helped supervise the project and became one of her most influential mentors.

“In Dr. Hoy’s classes, I really deepened my understanding of nutrition and how trends are constantly evolving, particularly in the areas of evidence-based research and public health policy,” Rand said. “I feel like I now have even more tools to better support my patients and provide them with clear, evidence-based guidance.”

For future Mountaineers considering App State’s nutrition master’s program, Rand advised, “Soak up all the information, because you never know when it will be applicable in a real-world situation. Be confident in what your professors are teaching, and stay open to learning, enjoying the experience along the way.”

Rand plans to continue in her role at WakeMed and hopes to eventually earn a Certified Nutrition Support Clinician credential.

Rice, of Durham, graduated from the College of Fine and Applied Arts with a Bachelor of Science in public relations.

During her time at App State, Rice was involved in the Public Relations Student Society of America, serving on the executive board and holding roles as social media director and vice president of the university’s chapter.

She shared that, among her public relations achievements, she is most proud of successfully coordinating the Department of Communication’s 2025 Spring Forward — an annual two-day alumni and student networking event. As the project manager intern, she led a team of five students that helped the event set record numbers for both attendance and expert panels.

“It was a really cool experience,” she said. “It showed me how far public relations work can go and how important it is.”

Rice’s most recent internship was with the OSINT Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports open-source intelligence professionals, where she worked in marketing communications.

Rice takes pride in her strong work ethic — demonstrated by her graduating from App State a semester early, even after experiencing significant loss during Hurricane Helene, when severe flooding destroyed her apartment and car.

“Honestly, it taught me about resilience — the importance of community, family and friends — and that you can get through anything,” she said. “I’m a believer in Christ, so the biggest part of how I got through such a traumatic experience was my faith. I was blessed to find a place to live for the rest of the semester, which, funny enough, ended up being my best semester academically. I was able to put my head down and keep moving forward.”

Rice also took advantage of App State’s Disaster Relief Hub during Helene, where “everyone was so helpful and so kind,” she said — “it was an amazing resource to have.”

As for her time at App State, Rice said it’s the people that she will miss the most.

“It’s been exciting to come to campus every day and to build such a great community here,” she said. “For future Mountaineers, I encourage you to make the most of it. There are so many great resources and so many people who want to encourage you to succeed. Take advantage of everything App State has to offer, because this is a really special place.”

North Carolina’s poet laureate from 2012–14, Joseph Bathanti is the inaugural McFarlane Family Distinguished Professor of Interdisciplinary Education at App State, and he also serves as a professor in the Department of English and as writer-in-residence in App State’s Watauga Residential College. Bathanti has authored more than 20 books and was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in 2024. In 2016, he received the North Carolina Award in Literature, the state’s highest civilian honor, in recognition of his lifelong contributions to literature. Among his additional honors are the College of Arts and Sciences’ Donald W. Sink Family Outstanding Scholar Award (2021), Provost’s Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity (2021) and University of North Carolina Board of Governors Appalachian State University Excellence in Teaching Award (2022). He will retire from App State at the end of the fall 2025 semester.

Dr. Justin Cox joined the faculty in App State’s Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance in 2019. He serves as an associate professor in the department, teaching undergraduate courses in banking and finance. He is also a senior faculty member in the North Carolina School of Banking — the longest running state banking school in the nation, which is headquartered at App State. His honors include the 2025 Sywassink Excellence in Research Award, conferred by the Walker College of Business. Cox holds a Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi, an MBA from Louisiana Tech University, a master’s degree from the University of Central Florida and a bachelor’s degree from Coastal Carolina University.

Dr. Janice Pope is a professor in App State’s Department of Communication, specializing in public relations. She has served in various leadership roles at the university, including as a member of Faculty Senate, chair of the Council of Chairs (2010–12), chair of the Department of Communication (2007–13 and 2017–19) and, most recently, interim dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts (2019–21). She is also a passionate student mentor — in addition to directing honors theses each semester, Pope formalized the department’s student internship program and the annual Spring Forward event to connect students with alumni working in the communications field. Pope received the Departmental Excellence in Teaching Award in 1996, Student Government Association Outstanding Teacher Award in 1998 and College of Fine and Applied Arts Outstanding Faculty Award in 2006. She will retire from App State at the end of the fall 2025 semester.