Lehigh University Athletics
From the Future: Dear Freshman Brandi...
5/11/2015 10:15:00 AM | Student Athlete
Dear Freshman Brandi,
You are about to embark on the greatest journey of your life thus far. This journey will involve more joy than you can imagine, more failures than you can count, and more love than you think can ever exist. You will do wonderful things and here are some words of wisdom to help along the way.
First off, in the lyrics of Anna Nalick, "Breathe. Just breathe." Many aspects of your life during these next four years will be overwhelming and even troublesome. Let's start by just stating a fact: the academics at Lehigh show no mercy. From Intro Level Biology classes to Organic Chemistry lecture and labs, you will constantly be challenged. With some challenges, you will rise up and overcome, and with others, you will struggle and fail. But that is the beauty of it all. In all your struggles and failures, you will learn what it means to truly succeed and how good it feels when you find the light at the end of the tunnel. Don't let your GPA, class ranking, or any other academic label affect your view of yourself or distort your dreams of getting into the medical field. In the end, everything will get done, and everything will work out like it's supposed to.
Now onto another huge aspect of your life here at Lehigh: softball. Remember when you were 12 years old watching the College World Series with Dad and dreaming of being one of those players some day? That dream has finally come true! You will experience some incredible wins, witness unbelievable plays, cry after heartbreaking losses, and compete against the best in the country. Your passion will be questioned, but don't let anything or anyone take it away from you. Your teammates will provide you with memories you will never forget, so get excited to spend every waking minute with them. College softball will give you more than just statistics and a win/loss record; it will push you to be the absolute best woman you can be. Because you are a student-athlete, you will be able to join programs such as Student Athlete Mentors, Emerging Leaders, and Leadership Legacies. Each of these outstanding programs will equip you with the right tools to become a solid role model and eventually a team captain. Be a leader who listens, rather than just speaks. This will take you far with so many different people.
Although school and softball are two huge parts of your Lehigh life, the most important aspect is the people you will meet here. Even though you are far away from home and don't really know anyone here, don't stress or worry about finding people as weird as you are. They exist, and they are incredible human beings. Your best friends will redefine the term "friendship" and will quickly become your Pennsylvania sisters. Make sure to tell them how much you love them every single day, not matter what. At some point in these next four years (exact point in time not given because spoiling it would be no fun!) you will meet a man who makes you understand how you deserve to be treated. Like the others, make sure you tell him every day how much he means to you. These are the people you will forever be laughing about, reminiscing with, crying to, and inviting to every major event in your life. Treasure every second you get with them.
All in all, your four years here will be nothing short of extraordinary, not because you won every award and broke every record, but because of the experiences you will learn from and the people you will encounter. Always remember to stay close to God (He will get you through it all), dance like crazy (especially when Rihanna's "We Found Love" is blasting), enjoy every bite of the Quesadilla Crunch at Salsa Rico (but not too often), thank Mom for her numerous valentines/birthday/Easter/finals packages, appreciate where you came from and where you'll go, and love everyone in your life deeply.
All the best,
Senior Brandi
