Spotlight on Current Students

Beth Fasbinder '12

Brookhaven, PA
Major: Interdisciplinary Studies-Teacher Ed (Elementary Education)

Principal Elizabeth Fasbinder . . . if things go as planned, Westover Fellow Beth Fasbinder will achieve that goal within the next decade or so. Originally from Brookhaven, Pennsylvania, Beth followed the mail to Lynchburg, Virginia. Although Lynchburg College was not originally on her radar because she didn't want to travel so far from home for school, the sheer volume of the mail contacts piqued her interest, so after a conversation with her parents about applying to an out-of-state school, Lynchburg College made her list.

An elementary education major, Beth's superior academic accomplishments have earned her Dean's list honors every semester while enrolled at LC. Her academic achievements have also been recognized by the LC faculty with invitations to join Phi Eta Sigma, the freshman academic honorary; Kappa Delta Pi, the academic honorary for education students; and the crowning achievement of all, membership in Phi Kappa Phi, the national Academic Honorary for juniors and seniors, based on outstanding academic achievement. Beth's leadership abilities have been recognized by her peers who elected her to be the sophomore class representative to the Society of Westover Fellows. Actively engaged on campus, Beth currently works as a student assistant in the Wellness Education Office where she helps with programming and event planning. In addition, Beth recently was selected to participate in a major grant project funded by the Walmart Corporation to work directly with first-generation college freshmen. She will serve as a peer mentor to ten freshmen as she advises them on their transition to college life and helps them create a four-year academic plan.

Beth says that her favorite Westover Honors class was Westover math taught by mathematics professor Dr. Danny Cline: "It was fun and challenging. The way the class was organized enabled me to form stronger relationships with the other students in the class." Of the Honors Program generally, she says, "I like the close family-like community that the Honors Program has formed. The retreat allowed me to make so many friends and the bonds formed in my freshman year have continued throughout the rest of my college career."

Always trying to stay ahead of the curve, Beth has already been actively thinking about her Westover Honors thesis which she will write and defend during her senior year. As she makes plans for her student teaching experience, currently scheduled for the 2012 spring semester, she is also planning for international travel: spending part of her upcoming summer break on a service-learning program in St. Lucia where she will work directly with that island nation's primary school population. Professor Kathy Husted, her faculty mentor on that program, is delighted that Beth is planning to join her and 14 other education majors on this program: "Beth is committed to learning, and excited about her chosen profession. She is curious, willing to question and seek answers to the learning problems of the students with whom she works. She will be the kind of teacher we need in our classrooms today." In the Honors Program, Beth has developed a strong educational self-consciousness that will inevitably be transferred into her teaching: "I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges and higher expectations in the Honors classes. Although I may complain about the classes while I'm in them, the fact that they push me out of my comfort zone has taught me a lot about myself and my ability to expand my own interests."

Paul Williams '14

Fredericksburg, VA
Major: Environmental Science
Minor: Sociology

Since his arrival on the Lynchburg College campus in the fall, Paul Williams has made a significant impression on his peers and instructors. His Westover peers elected him as one of their first-year class representatives during the annual Westover retreat, and his instructors have noted his ability to consider issues at an unusually advanced level. An Eagle Scout, Paul's leadership potential is clearly evident as he begins to chart his course at Lynchburg College.

Caitlin Gibb '11

North East, MD
Major: Environmental Science
Minor: Biology

An environmental science major with a minor in biology, Caitlin Gibb is a stellar scholar athlete. As captain of the field hockey team and a Fellow in the Westover Honors Program, she has effectively negotiated the delicate balance between sports, school, and co-curricular commitments.

Field hockey has played an important role in her life, and she says that "I became a Lynchburg College Hornet because of the perfect combination of academics, athletics, and the environment."

Another attraction for Caitlin was the Claytor Nature Center and the college's "proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains as well as its extensive involvement with local environmental issues."

Study Abroad in Costa Rica

During the summer prior to her senior year, Caitlin participated in a study abroad program in Costa Rica under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Shahady, associate professor of environmental science. The program included field research, language instruction, a family stay component, and travel to the many eco-systems found in the Costa Rican environment.

"As an environmental science major Caitlin is concerned with the loss of wetlands near her Maryland home on the Chesapeake Bay as well as throughout the United States and the world. Her participation in an environmental science study abroad course to Costa Rica provided Caitlin the opportunity to learn how another country works to preserve these essential ecosystems. As she studied the composition of plants and insects in the protected wetlands around Chesapeake Bay, she was able to put those field experiences to good use to continue her research in Costa Rica. I've been very pleased to work with her on this comparative wetlands study, a first for a Lynchburg College environmental science major," said Dr. Shahady.

When she wasn't eating gallo pinto with her host family or careening down a zip-line high above the rainforest's tree canopy, she could be found testing the water quality in various rivers and streams.

Caitlin's experience was partially funded by a special Westover scholarship to help defer the cost of the trip. Of her time in Costa Rica, Caitlin says, "Studying tropical environments and water quality abroad in Costa Rica was even more exhilarating for me as I expanded both my educational and cultural horizons." She adds that "Travelling to remote field stations, wild rainforests, and secluded wetlands added a whole new dimension to conducting my Westover Senior research."

This spring, as Caitlin prepares to defend her Westover thesis, "Comparison of Wetland Protection and Policy in the United States and Costa Rica," she will draw upon the research that she conducted during her Costa Rican study abroad experience.

Favorite Westover Honors Course

Among her Westover Honors classes, Caitlin's favorite was the Irish Studies colloquium taught by Dr. Gray, "Tiger Fiction: Literature from the New Ireland." She says, " I loved the small group discussion-based format. . . Dr. Gray's extensive background on Irish culture added to the depth of knowledge I gained from the course."

For this course, she was able to merge her newfound interest in contemporary Irish literature with her environmental concerns to write her research paper about environmental issues in contemporary Ireland as manifested in literature.

Awards and Honors

Omnipresent on the Dean's List, Caitlin's academic achievements have been recognized by her instructors and peers alike. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, the institution's most prestigious academic honorary, and she is poised to graduate with triple honors: Westover Honors, academic honors, and honors in her major.

At the annual athletic awards banquet at the end of her junior year, she was honored as the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. The Old Dominion Athletic Conference also named her to the all-ODAC Academic Team.