Westover Honors Students Turn Passion into Research with Transformative Thesis Projects

By Caleb Adams

April 9th, 2025

Inside the Westover Honors Thesis Experience | University of Lynchburg

Each year at the University of Lynchburg, seniors in the Westover Honors Program spend their final year researching, writing, and defending original thesis projects: an intensive project that challenges their skills, shapes their futures, and showcases the power of undergraduate research.

Through original research guided by faculty mentors, these students tackle complex questions in science, public health, the humanities, and more.

Dr. Beth Savage, Director of the Westover Honors College, explains, “The senior thesis is really something that we try to work up to through all of our previous classes in terms of building, writing and research skills... It’s an opportunity for students who have a thesis in the major to actually have an extra three credit hours dedicated to that... so that they can further explore something that they’re truly and genuinely interested in.”

Hyden Draughon's labeled container of identified ticks sits on the table, while he prepares in the background to examine a specimen under the microscope.

For senior Asher Stang, the thesis process brought together years of interdisciplinary learning and helped him see the broader impact of his scientific research.

He says, “The classes… had a lot to do with this interdisciplinary model of understanding the world around you... So I think Westover really made me learn how to question literature, but it also made me learn how to integrate sources.”

As the thesis process comes to a close, the Westover Honors Program will soon host a special moment of recognition and celebration for the students’ hard work.

Dr. Rachel Willis reflects on this, “I really love the cording ceremony that comes after almost everyone has already defended and completed their projects, and then they get to, before graduation, with their families, have their thesis title read aloud and their thesis director gives them their honor cord. And I don't know what it is about that ritual, but it just feels so concrete to me.”

As these students prepare to step into the next chapter of their lives, their dedication to research and learning serves as an inspiration: If you're ready to explore your own academic potential, the Westover Honors Program could be the next step in your journey.