Natalee Coates ’26, a University of Lynchburg Bonner Leader, helped create and carry out a Lynchburg Fire Department initiative that was honored on Feb. 21 at the 2024 Virginia Fire Rescue Conference.
Westover Honors College
Lynchburg student’s work in South Sudan on Voice of America-Africa
In January, Westover Honors Fellow and Bonner Leader Kyle Thaller ’25 chatted with Voice of America-Africa about his humanitarian and policy work in South Sudan, and what inspired him to get involved.
Special fund named for beloved English professor to send Westover Fellows abroad
A new fund named for Professor Emeritus Dr. Richard Burke may send two Westover Fellows abroad for the first time: graphic design major Isaiah Romsdahl ’24 and history major Jacob Jones ’25. Romsdahl is planning to join a spring break trip to Europe, while Jones hopes to travel to Mexico this summer.
Debate and Forensics Team wins big at Florida tournament
Lynchburg’s Debate and Forensics Team scored four first-place wins at the College Forensics Association tournament in Clearwater, Florida, Jan. 19-20.
Lynchburg alums leading National Blue Ribbon Schools
Two Pittsylvania County, Virginia, elementary schools, both led by University of Lynchburg graduates, have been named 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education.
Honors student spends his summer fighting poverty, serving refugees
Jacob Jones ’25, a Westover Honors Fellow at the University of Lynchburg, spent his summer working with immigrants and refugees from all over the world at the New Arrivals Institute, a charity in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Westover Honors Fellow with ‘passion for helping others’ named Sommerville Scholar
Kelsey Spickler ’24, a Westover Honors Fellow from Bridgewater, Virginia, has been named the 2023-24 Richard Clarke Sommerville Scholar. The award, the University of Lynchburg’s highest academic honor, was presented on Nov. 13 at the West Room in Drysdale Student Center.
Westover Honors Fellow investigates law enforcement careers through Virginia State Police internship
Elora Burchette ’26 has long been interested in forensic accounting and white-collar crime investigations. Her favorite television show is “American Greed,” a long-running documentary that shows “the dark side of the American Dream,” with true-to-life stories about credit card scams, Ponzi schemes, and other white-collar crimes. Along the way, she became even more interested in preventing white-collar crime.
Brazilian student and Westover Honors Fellow asks ‘Why not?’ and hits the ground running at Lynchburg
Fernanda Angel Evangelista ’27 isn’t wasting any time. The Westover Honors Fellow, who hails from Brazil, already has a long list of extracurriculars beneath her University of Lynchburg email signature.
Westover Honors Fellow maps Claytor Nature Center trails for VFIC grant-funded project
Visitors to the University of Lynchburg’s Claytor Nature Center will soon have access to digital maps of the property’s hiking trails, thanks to Maggie Kicklighter ’24 and a $1,200 grant from the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges.