Asher Stang ’25, a biology and psychology double major from Amelia, Virginia, has been named the winner of the 2024 Robert L. Hill Distinguished Senior Award, one of the University of Lynchburg’s highest honors for undergraduate students.
The Hill Award, as it’s commonly called, was presented on Friday, April 18, at the annual academic awards ceremony. At the event, Stang also received the Outstanding Senior Award in Biomedical Science, the Outstanding Research Award in Psychology, and the Sally Glass Hargis Outstanding Senior Award in Psychology.
Stang, a Westover Honors Fellow, has a minor in neuroscience and a 3.97 grade point average.
In a letter to the Sommerville-Hill Committee, Stang wrote about how they “fell in love with science at an early age, and since then have let myself embody those ideologies which a scientist must possess: curiosity, open-mindedness, and passion for something greater than yourself.”
They wrote about their time in Westover Honors, saying, “I used my time in the … program to explore the finer details of the world, like poetry, philosophy, and art,” and that being part of Westover “allowed me to engage in conversations on these topics and learn from my peers at every corner.”
Stang’s decision to major in both biology and psychology came out of a desire to “better understand the biopsychosocial factors that determine people’s behaviors and cognitions,” and led to capstone projects in both biology and psychology.
Stang also was a teaching assistant in the Behavioral Neuroscience/Human Neuropsychology class and a Chemistry 112 PASS Leader. They served on the Westover Honors Executive Board and performed in a musical ensemble.
Stang also teaches guitar, piano, and ukulele, and is a certified EMT and firefighter.
In a statement, members of the Sommerville-Hill Committee praised Stang for embodying “a passion for learning that is driven by curiosity” and for possessing an “intellectual curiosity” that “has driven them to explore the intricate connections between” biology and psychology.
They admitted that choosing the 2025 Hill Award winner was a “challenging endeavor,” but they concluded that “Asher’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning, scholarly research, and community service truly exemplifies the values celebrated by the Robert L. Hill Distinguished Senior Award.”
In addition to Stang, finalists for the Hill Award included Natalee Coates, a Westover Honors Fellow, Bonner Leader, and criminology and intelligence studies double major from Madison, Virginia; Madeline Brainard, a history minor and creative writing minor from Trumansburg, New York; and Elora Grochowski, a double major in criminology-philosophy and political science from Norfolk, Virginia.
The Robert L. Hill Distinguished Senior Award was established in memory of Hill, who served Lynchburg as a professor and chair of economics from 1965 to 1984. It’s presented to a senior who has excelled in academics, ranked in the top 2% of their graduating class, pursued a challenging and rigorous curriculum, and exhibited involvement in campus and community activities.
