Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame
De Palo, Jessica
Jessica De Palo
- Induction:
- 2024
- Class:
- 2005
A prolific scorer on the basketball court and a servant leader off of it, Jessica De Palo's final two seasons for the Mountain Hawks rank among the finest in school history.
A two-time All-Patriot League first-team honoree and a member of the Patriot League’s 25th Anniversary Team, Jessica De Palo was the first Lehigh women’s basketball player to be named Patriot League Player of the Year.
“It is an incredible honor to be recognized in this way,” De Palo said. “This recognition is shared with the many individuals who helped make Lehigh an opportunity for me and supported me during my journey as a Lehigh student-athlete. This acknowledgment would not have been attainable without my teammates, as the accomplishments we attained were the result of everyone’s contributions.”
A key contributor during her first two seasons, De Palo came into her own during her final two campaigns in the Brown and White, totaling more than 1,000 points over those final two years. She averaged 18.9 points per game as a junior and scored 549 points in 2003-04, a school record that stood for nearly 20 years.
De Palo added 536 points her senior season of 2004-05, on the way to her Patriot League Player of the Year award.
She amassed 1,466 total points over her four years for Lehigh - ranking fourth in school history in scoring at the time of her graduation.
During her senior year, she led the Mountain Hawks to a 19-10 record and 10-4 mark in Patriot League play.
Off the court, De Palo earned a pair of CoSIDA Academic All-District honors as well as Lehigh Athletics’ Mary O. Hurley Leadership Award, the Linny Fowler Service Award, and the Distinguished Achievement Award at the year-end Athletics Honors Convocation.
“Lehigh for me is a special place because of the people,” De Palo said. “I truly felt supported and cared for, not only as a student-athlete but also as a person. This caring spirit has also been extended to my family and remains present to this day. I will always be grateful for the support of the administration, coaches, and my teammates. My teammates are my best friends, they are the true example of friendship.”
A native of Rumson, N.J. De Palo graduated from Lehigh in 2005 with a degree in marketing. She added
a master’s degree from Lehigh in technology-based elementary education in 2006, while serving as a graduate assistant with the women’s basketball program.
De Palo then completed a master’s degree in the Department of Clinical Psychology from Columbia University, Teachers College in psychology in education, with a concentration in spirituality and mind/body practices.
In 2022, De Palo participated in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program as a Fulbright-EDUFI Fellow in Jyväskylä, Finland where she looked at student-athlete career adaptabilities.
De Palo is in her 13th year as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Success Through Well-Being at Columbia University, where she is responsible for all day-to-day operations for Columbia’s Success Through Well-Being program. This program oversees all department matters on academics, career development, mental performance, nutrition, leadership, and well-being.
Additionally, De Palo is a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia, and is participating in a dissertation research study, where she is examining how to best prepare NCAA Division I student-athletes for their professional career after sports.
De Palo is honored to share this recognition with her parents, Dominick and Leslie De Palo, who showed her that education and sports can create pathways to opportunities that would otherwise not be possible.
“I will always be grateful for the sacrifices they made for me to have the opportunities that I have today,” De Palo said.
A two-time All-Patriot League first-team honoree and a member of the Patriot League’s 25th Anniversary Team, Jessica De Palo was the first Lehigh women’s basketball player to be named Patriot League Player of the Year.
“It is an incredible honor to be recognized in this way,” De Palo said. “This recognition is shared with the many individuals who helped make Lehigh an opportunity for me and supported me during my journey as a Lehigh student-athlete. This acknowledgment would not have been attainable without my teammates, as the accomplishments we attained were the result of everyone’s contributions.”
A key contributor during her first two seasons, De Palo came into her own during her final two campaigns in the Brown and White, totaling more than 1,000 points over those final two years. She averaged 18.9 points per game as a junior and scored 549 points in 2003-04, a school record that stood for nearly 20 years.
De Palo added 536 points her senior season of 2004-05, on the way to her Patriot League Player of the Year award.
She amassed 1,466 total points over her four years for Lehigh - ranking fourth in school history in scoring at the time of her graduation.
During her senior year, she led the Mountain Hawks to a 19-10 record and 10-4 mark in Patriot League play.
Off the court, De Palo earned a pair of CoSIDA Academic All-District honors as well as Lehigh Athletics’ Mary O. Hurley Leadership Award, the Linny Fowler Service Award, and the Distinguished Achievement Award at the year-end Athletics Honors Convocation.
“Lehigh for me is a special place because of the people,” De Palo said. “I truly felt supported and cared for, not only as a student-athlete but also as a person. This caring spirit has also been extended to my family and remains present to this day. I will always be grateful for the support of the administration, coaches, and my teammates. My teammates are my best friends, they are the true example of friendship.”
A native of Rumson, N.J. De Palo graduated from Lehigh in 2005 with a degree in marketing. She added
a master’s degree from Lehigh in technology-based elementary education in 2006, while serving as a graduate assistant with the women’s basketball program.
De Palo then completed a master’s degree in the Department of Clinical Psychology from Columbia University, Teachers College in psychology in education, with a concentration in spirituality and mind/body practices.
In 2022, De Palo participated in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program as a Fulbright-EDUFI Fellow in Jyväskylä, Finland where she looked at student-athlete career adaptabilities.
De Palo is in her 13th year as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Success Through Well-Being at Columbia University, where she is responsible for all day-to-day operations for Columbia’s Success Through Well-Being program. This program oversees all department matters on academics, career development, mental performance, nutrition, leadership, and well-being.
Additionally, De Palo is a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia, and is participating in a dissertation research study, where she is examining how to best prepare NCAA Division I student-athletes for their professional career after sports.
De Palo is honored to share this recognition with her parents, Dominick and Leslie De Palo, who showed her that education and sports can create pathways to opportunities that would otherwise not be possible.
“I will always be grateful for the sacrifices they made for me to have the opportunities that I have today,” De Palo said.
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