Alexander Patrick Stanger ’25, of East Calais, Vermont, died in a tragic hiking accident in the Italian Alps earlier this month. They were 23.
Alex’s intellectual curiosity, artistic vision, and deep empathy touched countless lives on the Lawrence campus and beyond. At the time of their death, Alex was living in Hamburg, Germany, as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, a role they embraced with characteristic enthusiasm. Read more about Alex’s Fulbright Fellowship.
At Lawrence, Alex pursued a double major in German Studies and Film Studies, where they became known as a gifted artist, passionate scholar, and thoughtful advocate for community and social justice. Professors remember Alex as someone who moved through the world with warmth, sincerity, and a profound commitment to others.
“Alex embodied the very best of Lawrence,” said Alison C. Guenther-Pal, associate professor of German, who also served as Alex’s academic advisor in both programs. “We remember Alex for their limitless kindness, genuine empathy, and the rare openness with which they engaged others. Alex approached life as a process of becoming—of cultivating an authentic self with honesty and courage—and in doing so, was a model for others to do the same.”
Alex’s education at Lawrence was marked by intellectual fearlessness and creative exploration that frequently examined questions of social justice, identity, and inequality. Their German Studies Senior Capstone, which explored the founding of Lawrence University within the broader context of the colonization of Wisconsin, earned the Herman Erb Prize for excellence in writing.
“Alex believed that academic work mattered most when it illuminated structures of inequality and their consequences,” Guenther-Pal said.
In Film Studies, Alex developed a reputation as an inventive animator and collaborator whose enthusiasm energized those around them.
“They were a talented animator, and so passionate about making positive change in the world through their art, scholarship, and activism,” said Anne Haydock, associate professor of Film Studies. “For Alex, everyone and everything was connected,” she said, citing as an example the unlikely correlations they drew between topics for their Senior Experience in Film Studies.
“Their senior capstone film was a stop motion animation exploring the domestication of horses, the evolution of footwear, and the rise of AI in the context of human labor and oppression.”
“Alex was a beloved member of our Film & Media community and touched so many lives,” Haydock added. “Their energy was infectious. They got so excited every time something clicked, and they were just as passionate about helping their peers as they were about their own projects.”
Alex also found community and purpose through activism and advocacy. They spoke at campus demonstrations and consistently sought ways to connect scholarship with action. Their openness to people and experiences defined both their personal and academic life.
Associate professor of English and director of Fellowships Advising Claire Kervin worked closely with Alex in preparing their Fulbright application essays and experienced first-hand the delight they found in connecting with others.
“When we were brainstorming ideas for Fulbright application essays, they wore a huge grin while reminiscing about forming impromptu friendships during karaoke nights in Berlin and connecting with older people during yoga classes in Colorado,” Kervin said. “Alex cared deeply about inclusion, community, and belonging, not as abstract concepts, but as practices they participated in daily.”
As a student, Alex’s time studying abroad in Berlin proved transformative and helped inspire their pursuit of the Fulbright opportunity after graduation. When they learned they had received the prestigious fellowship, Alex wrote, “I am over the moon.”
That joy carried into their work in Hamburg, where they taught English, and spent their time cooking, baking, and crafting, and immersing themselves in creative pursuits like the one they mentioned in a recent email to Kervin.
"I’m taking part in a community project at the Elbe Philharmonic with the theme Lost and Found,” Alex wrote. “We are putting together a concert with visual and choreographed elements – very much up my alley – that will be performed at the end of May."
The Fulbright Commission in Germany also honored Alex’s memory in a public statement, remembering them as a valued member of the Fulbright community and recognizing the impact they made during their time abroad. Read the complete statement here.
“They were looking to the future and wanted to help other Lawrentians obtain the same kind of experience that they treasured,” Kervin said.
At Lawrence and beyond, Alex will be remembered for exactly those connections—for the kindness, conviction, curiosity, and humanity they shared with the world.
“They reveled in the creative process and used their art, not just as a means of communication, but as a way to think through complex ideas and emotions and make human connections,” Haydock said.
Though their life was tragically brief, those who knew Alex say their influence endures in the communities they strengthened, the art they created, and the compassion they extended so freely to others.
