Lehigh University Athletics
“On the Move” with Chandler Navara
1/15/2013 3:25:00 PM | Recreation
On the Move Navara
Chandler Navara is a junior Earth & Environmental Science major from East Brunswick, NJ and has been "on the move" since her arrival 3 years ago. Whether she is playing with the Soccer on the club team, working with the Association of Student Alumni, or giving tours with the Admissions Office Chandler has made quite an impact in our programs. We asked Chandler to share her experiences with us.
You have been an active participant in our Club Sport Program throughout your undergraduate years at Lehigh. Can you share what you have been involved in?
I started playing on the women's club soccer team since my first semester freshman year. I decided that I was no longer interested in playing on a varsity team in college so I could have more time for myself and be able to get involved with other aspects of campus life. It turned out that the club team was exactly what I was looking for. It is a competitive team that practices 2 times a week and has games against other schools most weekends. It is a whole lot of fun and I have made so many new friends out of my teammates.
What other Campus activities or organizations are you currently or have been involved with?
Currently I am also involved in the Association of Student Alumni (ASA), tour guiding with the Admissions Office, and the Society for Environmental Science (SES). It is very hard to narrow down what I choose to take part in because there are so many options here on campus.
Do you find it difficult being so involved?
At times it is hard to keep track of everything going on but I thoroughly enjoy everything I am a part of so that makes it a lot easier.
Is it hard to keep up with your classes and grades, or do you feel that you balance them well?
Sometimes it is a little overwhelming to balance all of my other activities with my classes, but I really work hard in all of my classes so I don't fall behind.
How has participating in our Campus Athletics programs helped to enrich your college experience?
Campus Athletics has definitely enriched my college experience by providing me with some real world experience. Since our club is entirely student run, we handle everything from tryouts, to finances, to scheduling games, and running practices. It has really helped me learn outside of the classroom as well.
How has our programs helped you to make connections and friendships with people that you otherwise probably would have never met?
I have made so many friends from the team each year from girls that I have never seen before. We are all from different parts of campus and enjoy the sport so it is a very uniting opportunity. I especially love when we get new freshmen in the fall season because we get to help them out and show them around Lehigh.
What inspired you to become so involved?
I have always been the type of person that loves going out and doing things. I rarely sit around doing nothing, I get antsy! I am very happy to have found some other things that I like to participate in outside the classroom.
Do you think you've grown as a leader? Do you feel more confident in general?
I definitely feel that I have grown as a leader, especially this past semester being one of the captains of the team. I am a lot more comfortable and confident in front of other people and I am able to delegate better as a leader. I feel that my problem solving skills also dramatically improved because of all of the different things we had to figure out to run a team successfully. Although it was stressful at times, I definitely feel that I grew a lot.
How do you think you will be able to apply these leadership skills in other areas such as the workplace and in everyday life?
I absolutely feel that I will be able to apply these skills in everyday life. If I ever become the leader of a team on the job, a manager, or even a coach, these are all skills that I will be able to put to good use.
What are your future plans?
Right now I am planning on doing the 5-year program in my department that will let me complete my master's program in a year. After that, I'm not too sure where I will end up in the job world but hopefully something ecology based.
