Lehigh University Athletics
From the Future: Dear First-Year Jess...
4/29/2016 10:30:00 AM | Student Athlete
Dear First-Year Jess,Â
Home: For 18 years the small town of Mamaroneck, New York has always been your home and it is impossible to imagine living anywhere else. Although it may be hard to believe, over time you will refer to this house on East Fourth Street in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania as "home." Your grandparents may not be across the street, but your new neighborhood will soon become your college family. You will shovel snow with neighbors down the street, barbeque on the patio during warm spring nights, and enjoy homemade eggplant parmesan that is comparable to your usual Sunday night dinners. It might not be Lawn Terrace, but I guarantee no place will ever feel more at home than this college house will.
Success: This is a word that will most definitely be redefined throughout your college career. Success is not simply based on GPA, hits, RBI's, or homeruns, and being successful will not be mutually exclusive with winning. Some of the most successful moments (Brandi's hit last season against Texas A&M at regionals) will come in times of defeat. Know that you are part of a team who will help you be the best person you can be, they will help you succeed on and off the field every step of the way.
 Loss: Fortunately, for these past 18 years the word loss has only been associated with the scoreboard. While you are at college, family members who you were sure would live forever will pass away. And although you are miles away from home, you have friends and teammates here at Lehigh who will be there for you. Their love and support knows no bounds and you will be beyond thankful for all of them. You have a college coach who will go out of his way to drop you off at Aunt Lisa's house on the way back from the Boston series. This is special. Make sure you never go a day without being immensely appreciative for the compassionate and caring people you are surrounded by at Lehigh.
Family: Another word that has been the same your entire life. Family has always meant blood relatives; Granny, Papa, Mutzi, Grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, siblings. But what you will experience here at Lehigh is incredible. You will form a family with your teammates. Girls you met only years or months ago will soon feel like sisters, and these are relationships you will cherish for the rest of your life. Your friends, your teammates, and your teammates families are some of the most amazing people in the world, and they will truly make you a better person. Their strength is inspiring, their selflessness is remarkable, and their laughter is contagious.
"Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get." There is no doubt you are going to want what you get here at Lehigh.
Sincerely,
Senior Cal
