The University of Lynchburg’s 20th class of Bonner Leaders graduated during a ceremony and luncheon held on Wednesday, May 6, in Drysdale Student Center’s West Room. Five students graduated from the program, which is a partnership with The Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Foundation. Lynchburg is one of about 70 Bonner network schools in the U.S.
Four of the five Bonners graduated from Lynchburg on Thursday, May 7. The fifth will finish her degree in December.
“Today, we’re gathering in celebration of our seniors of the meaningful work these students have done, the joy that they have embraced while learning within our community, and the impact that they have made over the past three, some four, some three-and-a-half years because they’re graduating early,” said Tasha Gillum, Lynchburg’s assistant director of service learning and civic engagement. “And we are so grateful for that.”
During the academic year, Bonner Leaders serve 10 hours a week in work-study roles at area nonprofits, schools, or agencies. In addition to a stipend and scholarships, they gain professional and critical-thinking skills.
“It’s a cohort-based, community-engagement program, where our students are responding to pressing social issues of our time through service and community-based learning,” Gillum explained.
Bonners also do a legacy or capstone project, which Gillum described as a “culminating experience.” According to the Bonner Foundation, this project “serves a civic purpose” and “can allow the student to do something that builds the capacity of a local community or promotes awareness and action on a social issue.”
At last week’s event, the graduating Bonners gave what Gillum called “presentations of learning” about their legacy projects.
Elizabeth Johnson ’26, of King George, Virginia, did her Bonner service at the Free Clinic of Central Virginia. Her presentation was titled “Increasing Access to Knowledge about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) by Creating Resources for Community Partners.”
A biology major with minors in human services and psychology, Johnson will start Lynchburg’s Master of PA Medicine program this fall.
Lydia Nelson ’26, of Springfield, Virginia, served at Brook Hill Farm, a therapeutic riding facility in Bedford County, Virginia. For her project, “The Effect of Rider Balance on Equine Heart Rate,” she studied how a rider’s stance atop a horse, which can be imbalanced in riders with disabilities, impacts a horse’s heart rate.
Nelson, who earned her degree in biomedical science, was a beach volleyball player and Westover Honors Fellow.
Jack Pitts ’26, of Lynchburg, Virginia, also was Westover Honors Fellow. He majored in biomedical science, with a minor in public health, and did his Bonner service at the Free Clinic of Central Virginia.
His legacy project, “Creating a Connection Between Art and the Free Clinic of Central Virginia,” involved, among other things, planning an art auction to raise funds for the clinic.
Destin Stringer ’26 graduated from Lynchburg with a degree in biomedical science, with a minor in theatre. Before moving into Bonner leadership last year, she volunteered at the Free Clinic of Central Virginia’s dental clinic. She plans to pursue a career as a dental hygienist.
Her legacy project, “Better Bonner Blueprint,” created a handbook and standard operating procedures for Lynchburg’s Bonner program.
Kaitlyn Regan ’27 will graduate from Lynchburg in December. She is a Westover Honors Fellow and a biomedical science major, with a minor in chemistry. She did her Bonner service with the Lynchburg Fire Department.
For her legacy project, “Mini Medics Program: Young Community Member Intro to Health and First Aid,” Regan developed a class on first aid basics for children. Then, she and others from the LFD taught the class to all of the city’s public school fifth graders.
Regan, of Lynchburg, Virginia, has been an EMT since high school. She recently took the MCAT and plans to attend medical school with the goal of becoming a pediatrician.
After the presentations, the Bonners were awarded certificates of accomplishment and the purple-and-black cords they would wear with their Commencement regalia.
Participating in a program like Bonner for three or four years is a “significant ask when you are a college student,” Gillum said, adding that each student contributes about 1,000 hours of service in the community and “many of them go above and beyond. …
“These students help lead a culture of service at the University of Lynchburg and also create that sustained partnership between the University and the community.”
