At a little after 3 p.m. on Oct. 17, Dr. David Freier, professor of sciences, and a group of University of Lynchburg seniors waited for the beginning of Hornet to Hornet, an event in which students share their research with faculty, peers, and alumni who have gone on to work in their field of study.
According to Freier, it was the first such event held by the biology department.
“[The event] was a great way to bring together alumni experience and connect it to current student scholarship,” he said.
The classroom’s desks had been set up as presenting stations where guests would examine posterboards, hear about what research the seniors were conducting, and give feedback.
At 3:17, guests started filtering in — a mix of alumni, biology department faculty, and fellow students who had come for moral support. The five alumni in attendance were Claire Steger ’21, Amala Clawson ’24, Asher Stang ’25, and Koryn Johnston ’05.
Stang, a lab and research specialist at Virginia Commonwealth University, said the seniors had done “stellar work.”
“Research dissemination is super important in science,” he said. “I think it’s great to give these students the opportunity to practice giving research. … I also just think it’s super cool to see what’s going on at the University since I’ve been here.”
Stang also praised the “great work” Freier was doing in the department.
Steger, who works at CB Fleet, a local medical laboratory, appreciated the opportunity to meet up-and-coming students. She enjoyed “learning what they’re passionate about” and “seeing that research sparkle in their eye.”
For the next part of the event, the tables were turned and the students had the opportunity to ask the guests how they found their paths in medicine, laboratory work, and lab management.
The alumni formed a panel at the back of the room.
“Don’t be shy,” Steger quipped, “we’re too far away to bite.”
The students’ questions revolved around themes of applying for jobs, gaining experience, and adjusting to new environments.
One student asked members of the panel what most surprised them about life after graduation, and Clawson shared the story of her nonlinear career path.
“I was working here [at the University] for a year, on our ground’s crew,” she said, “which I never thought I would be doing, but I got some really good life experience. I’m going to have a very well-maintained yard one day.”
After her time at Lynchburg, Clawson went on to land a job as an EMT in Asheville, North Carolina.
“Sometimes [life] doesn’t always end up the way you want it to go,” she said. “But eventually you’ll find your path and find your way.”
Johnston, who is a practicing physician in rural Pennsylvania, added, “You’ll learn things as you go along, but [with] the problem-solving skills that you’ve learned here, the processes, and the algorithms … you’ll succeed, if you’re willing.”
The alumni encouraged the seniors to constantly push themselves, volunteer for new roles and experiences, and never underestimate the power of a connection.
“That’s why events like [this one] are so important,” Johnston said.
Freier said he and his colleagues were looking forward “to continuing this in future years, with even more alumni and more students presenting their scholarship.”
Steger expressed her excitement about the event’s potential, saying it gave students the opportunity to make personal connections and know “that someone is cheering for them, that they have great research professors here, [and] that people are standing in their corner and supporting them.”
