All new students had the opportunity to weed, prepare meals, sort clothing, and do a variety of other work Tuesday and Wednesday to help out 18 local nonprofits as a way to introduce them to their new community.
Check out their work on flickr.
LC students have been doing service projects as part of their orientation for three years. Vice President and Dean of Student Development John Eccles says volunteerism is not an option, but an expectation at LC.
Many new students said they have done volunteer work much of their lives.
Madison Mading ’18 of King George, Va., spent Wednesday morning at Park View Community Mission with a number of students who sorted clothes and bagged carrots for the food pantry. “I think it’s really cool,” Madison said. “I like how it shows what the school’s all about right from the start.”
Emily Newsom ’18 of Virginia Beach agreed. “I enjoy it because you can meet new people and you can give back to the community,” she said.
At Old City Cemetery, while some students fought gnats, Alysa Rodriguez ’18 of Chesterfield, Va., was enjoying trimming rose bushes. “I would love to work here,” she said. Zack Peterson ’18 of Monroe, Va., said, “I think it’s definitely an important thing for people to get involved.”
Another group volunteered at the HumanKind Little Wings Preschool to help prepare for the academic year. They washed walls and furniture and hunkered down in tiny chairs to cut out laminated names and other paper projects. “I love volunteer work,” said Natalie Romine ’18 from Glenelg, Md. “I’ve been volunteering every summer since seventh grade.”
Students also worked at the Academy of Fine Arts, CASA of Central Virginia, the Fellowship Community Outreach, Gleaning for the World, the Network House, Stop Hunger Now, the YWCA Domestic Violence Center, Lynchburg City Public Works Department, the Arc of Central Virginia, Camp Kum-Ba-Yah, Helping Hands Clothes Closet, Lynchburg Grows, Lynchburg Nature Zone, Miriam’s House and Tinbridge Hill Neighborhood Association.
Class Profile
The 525 first-year students in the Class of 2018 represent the most diverse class ever to enter University of Lynchburg — at 32 percent.
New students also include 105 transfer students, including 25 from Nigeria, the largest number of international students to attend LC from one country in recent memory. There are a total of 30 new international students, including transfers from Nigeria, South Korea, and St. Lucia.
The Class of 2018 is academically strong with an average GPA of 3.27 and SATs of 1014. A total of 36 the first-year students are enrolled in the College’s honors program as Westover Fellows with an average GPA of 4.01 and SAT of 1247. The class is made up of 57 percent women and 43 percent men. The students hail from 22 states, as well as Benin and Senegal.
