Effectively Communicating in Every Aspect of Life
1/17/2020 9:32:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse, Student Athlete, Features, Intellectual Development
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
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There are many layers to the Lehigh men's lacrosse team beyond what's seen on the field come gameday. Â
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Take Justin Angelel for example.
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Although Angelel hasn't seen much game action over his first two years, he has developed into an important contributor who has made his mark on the scout team offense – especially as a communicator.
Â
Those communication skills only grew stronger this past summer at his internship abroad in the Czech Republic.
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"I worked in Prague as a Junior Business Analyst and Technical Consultant at a company called eMan," said Angelel, a computer science and finance major. "Since I'm in Lehigh's IBE (Integrated Business and Engineering) program, being able to work on both technical and business projects was a great fit for my major."
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Angelel found himself in Prague after winning a prestigious Tauck Scholarship, which, as the Lehigh College of Business website explains, "provides unique educational and cultural opportunities for selected business students to participate in an international summer internship in a cultural setting that is 'new and foreign to them.'"
Â
Angelel, who had the freedom to choose his internship, is glad he ended up in Prague. In his role as Junior Business Analyst and Technical consultant, Justin often met with his mentor and engaged with clients.
Â
"The company (eMan) was contracted by an American finance company who wanted us to create a web platform to digitize real assets," said Angelel. "I would edit a solution plan (a diagram) or add details to a proposal. Then, I would work with a solution architect who designs the platform and see what else he needed from the clients."
Â
Angelel's work focused on people rather than technical skills. Even though he found himself in a foreign place, the need to effectively communicate remained consistent.
Â
"I really liked talking with different people and being the liaison between different groups," he said.
Â
Angelel was used to working with people from his time with the men's lacrosse program. It may not be obvious from afar, but there are many different layers to the team.
Â
Angelel is an important communicator, and leader, of one of those layers – the scout team.
Â
"I was a communicator at times in the fall, helping communicate the offense and teach the younger guys the ropes," said Angelel. "It definitely correlates to the business world in learning how to communicate and creating chemistry with your teammates. It's how a lot of Lehigh Lacrosse alumni get into leadership roles when they graduate."
Â
Lehigh head coach Kevin Cassese has no doubt Angelel is destined for great things, both presently and post-graduation.
Â
"Simply put, Justin is an outstanding person," said Cassese. "He is a model citizen, an elite student, a terrific leader and a selfless teammate. He has played a critical role as a leader for our entire team, and in particular for our scout team offense in practice. He realizes how important this role is to the overall success of the team. He's also worked very hard to help others take on the same mindset and fulfill that role to the best of their abilities every single day."
Â
The concept of maximizing others' abilities ties directly back to Angelel's Prague experience. The biggest takeaways from his summer abroad weren't technical details, but rather intangibles such as leading people and helping maximize their abilities.
Â
Another takeaway was living in a foreign country, which helped him learn about himself.
Â
"Living in the Czech Republic was amazing," he said. "I lived in an apartment with two other Americans and one Czech student. I only worked four days a week, so we would try new restaurants every night, go to different parks and travel to other countries on the weekends."
Â
Angelel also visited a number of churches and museums.
Â
"The Czech Republic was one of the only cities that wasn't bombed during World War II. There's so much history," he said. "I was standing in a church that was built in 973 AD and it's still standing. There's lots of art and interesting architecture."
Â
The language barrier wasn't too challenging since a number of people in the Czech Republic understand and/or speak English, but different cultural aspects were noticeable such as service at restaurants.
Â
"They're not there to make your experience the best it possibly can be. They're not working for a tip," said Angelel. "They're just there give you your food."
Â
Angelel also noticed a different pace to everyday life.
Â
"In America, it's go go go. Keep grinding, keep innovating and keep creating business value," he said. "There, it's slower paced.
Â
"In recognizing the slower pace, I had to be a go-getter for our team," Angelel continued. "I had to be the one to ask, 'what's the next step?'"
Â
In other words, Angelel learned how to get people moving in the same direction, which is an important attribute for sports teams as well.
Â
"We almost have four teams within our one lacrosse team – starting offense, starting defense, scout team offense and scout team defense," said Angelel. "Each one of those teams almost operates as its own independent unit. If you don't have leaders on the two scout teams, those teams aren't going to help the starters improve."
Â
Prior to the summer, Angelel had already considered himself a strong communicator, but he's only grown in that area after working with people from all over the world in Prague.
Â
A byproduct of working with so many different cultures is an appreciation of what everyone brings to the table.
Â
"I used to think there was a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things. Now, I understand that everyone is different," said Angelel. "You don't have to be lifting 24 hours a day, always practicing or always studying to be a good teammate, lacrosse player or student. There are many different ways to go about your day-to-day life, and pursue your long-term goals. No single answer is right or wrong. My perspective on career goals and relationships changed a lot.
Â
"The summer definitely helped set me up to lead a more diverse group of people and understand not everyone is going to react the same way," he continued. "You have to be able to bring everyone's perspectives, goals and motivations together to make the team (whether it be an athletics team or business team) successful."
Â
Speaking of success, Angelel has enjoyed quite the successful collegiate career, currently owning a 3.97 cumulative grade point average.
Â
"The academic success Justin has realized here at Lehigh is remarkable, but it is far from a surprise," said Cassese. "He was a high achiever in the classroom at the high school level and has always been mature beyond his years. Aside from being really intelligent, he is also an outstanding communicator and is someone who is truly invested in the people who he surrounds himself with.Â
Â
"We are fortunate that Justin is a Lehigh Lacrosse man and grateful for all the outstanding work he's done and will continue to do as a student-athlete at our university."
Â
What's allowed Justin to do such great work?
Â
There are many reasons.
Â
"I try hard to stay on top of my time management," said Angelel. "I have a Google calendar with everything I ever do, probably to a degree that's considered a little crazy. I try to maximize efficiency and be really good with my time because we have so little of it as a student-athlete.
Â
"I also really like learning."
Â
That lust for learning has allowed Angelel to grow academically, athletically, professionally and socially.
Â
Lehigh, and specifically the IBE program, is a perfect fit for this ambitious junior from Bellevue, Washington who has strong aspirations once he graduates.
Â
"Right now, I'm probably going to graduate next December with a degree in IBE finance, then I'll probably graduate," said Angelel. "Unless I get a great job offer, I'll probably come back for a ninth semester to get a second degree – a full computer science degree."
Â
Angelel is a type A personality who's getting the most out of his Lehigh student-athlete experience. He couldn't be more grateful for everything that has already come his way.
Â
"Seeing a completely different culture over the summer was a great experience and something I would have never been able to do without the Tauck Scholarship program," he said. "As a student-athlete, you don't get a lot of opportunities to travel and a lot of times, it's hard to do internships because of the team schedule. It was the best opportunity to travel and get work experience, and still not miss any lacrosse.
Â
"It was the perfect-case scenario."
Â
There are many layers to the Lehigh men's lacrosse team beyond what's seen on the field come gameday. Â
Â
Take Justin Angelel for example.
Â
Although Angelel hasn't seen much game action over his first two years, he has developed into an important contributor who has made his mark on the scout team offense – especially as a communicator.
Â
Those communication skills only grew stronger this past summer at his internship abroad in the Czech Republic.
Â
"I worked in Prague as a Junior Business Analyst and Technical Consultant at a company called eMan," said Angelel, a computer science and finance major. "Since I'm in Lehigh's IBE (Integrated Business and Engineering) program, being able to work on both technical and business projects was a great fit for my major."
Â
Angelel found himself in Prague after winning a prestigious Tauck Scholarship, which, as the Lehigh College of Business website explains, "provides unique educational and cultural opportunities for selected business students to participate in an international summer internship in a cultural setting that is 'new and foreign to them.'"
Â
Angelel, who had the freedom to choose his internship, is glad he ended up in Prague. In his role as Junior Business Analyst and Technical consultant, Justin often met with his mentor and engaged with clients.
 "The company (eMan) was contracted by an American finance company who wanted us to create a web platform to digitize real assets," said Angelel. "I would edit a solution plan (a diagram) or add details to a proposal. Then, I would work with a solution architect who designs the platform and see what else he needed from the clients."
Â
Angelel's work focused on people rather than technical skills. Even though he found himself in a foreign place, the need to effectively communicate remained consistent.
Â
"I really liked talking with different people and being the liaison between different groups," he said.
Â
Angelel was used to working with people from his time with the men's lacrosse program. It may not be obvious from afar, but there are many different layers to the team.
Â
Angelel is an important communicator, and leader, of one of those layers – the scout team.
Â
"I was a communicator at times in the fall, helping communicate the offense and teach the younger guys the ropes," said Angelel. "It definitely correlates to the business world in learning how to communicate and creating chemistry with your teammates. It's how a lot of Lehigh Lacrosse alumni get into leadership roles when they graduate."
Â
Lehigh head coach Kevin Cassese has no doubt Angelel is destined for great things, both presently and post-graduation.
Â
"Simply put, Justin is an outstanding person," said Cassese. "He is a model citizen, an elite student, a terrific leader and a selfless teammate. He has played a critical role as a leader for our entire team, and in particular for our scout team offense in practice. He realizes how important this role is to the overall success of the team. He's also worked very hard to help others take on the same mindset and fulfill that role to the best of their abilities every single day."
Â
The concept of maximizing others' abilities ties directly back to Angelel's Prague experience. The biggest takeaways from his summer abroad weren't technical details, but rather intangibles such as leading people and helping maximize their abilities.
Â
Another takeaway was living in a foreign country, which helped him learn about himself.
Â
"Living in the Czech Republic was amazing," he said. "I lived in an apartment with two other Americans and one Czech student. I only worked four days a week, so we would try new restaurants every night, go to different parks and travel to other countries on the weekends."
Â
Angelel also visited a number of churches and museums.
Â
"The Czech Republic was one of the only cities that wasn't bombed during World War II. There's so much history," he said. "I was standing in a church that was built in 973 AD and it's still standing. There's lots of art and interesting architecture."
Â
The language barrier wasn't too challenging since a number of people in the Czech Republic understand and/or speak English, but different cultural aspects were noticeable such as service at restaurants.
Â
"They're not there to make your experience the best it possibly can be. They're not working for a tip," said Angelel. "They're just there give you your food."
Â
Angelel also noticed a different pace to everyday life.
Â
"In America, it's go go go. Keep grinding, keep innovating and keep creating business value," he said. "There, it's slower paced.
Â
"In recognizing the slower pace, I had to be a go-getter for our team," Angelel continued. "I had to be the one to ask, 'what's the next step?'"
Â
In other words, Angelel learned how to get people moving in the same direction, which is an important attribute for sports teams as well.
Â
"We almost have four teams within our one lacrosse team – starting offense, starting defense, scout team offense and scout team defense," said Angelel. "Each one of those teams almost operates as its own independent unit. If you don't have leaders on the two scout teams, those teams aren't going to help the starters improve."
Â
Prior to the summer, Angelel had already considered himself a strong communicator, but he's only grown in that area after working with people from all over the world in Prague.
Â
A byproduct of working with so many different cultures is an appreciation of what everyone brings to the table.
Â
"I used to think there was a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things. Now, I understand that everyone is different," said Angelel. "You don't have to be lifting 24 hours a day, always practicing or always studying to be a good teammate, lacrosse player or student. There are many different ways to go about your day-to-day life, and pursue your long-term goals. No single answer is right or wrong. My perspective on career goals and relationships changed a lot.
Â
"The summer definitely helped set me up to lead a more diverse group of people and understand not everyone is going to react the same way," he continued. "You have to be able to bring everyone's perspectives, goals and motivations together to make the team (whether it be an athletics team or business team) successful."
Â
Speaking of success, Angelel has enjoyed quite the successful collegiate career, currently owning a 3.97 cumulative grade point average.
Â
"The academic success Justin has realized here at Lehigh is remarkable, but it is far from a surprise," said Cassese. "He was a high achiever in the classroom at the high school level and has always been mature beyond his years. Aside from being really intelligent, he is also an outstanding communicator and is someone who is truly invested in the people who he surrounds himself with.Â
Â
"We are fortunate that Justin is a Lehigh Lacrosse man and grateful for all the outstanding work he's done and will continue to do as a student-athlete at our university."
Â
What's allowed Justin to do such great work?
Â
There are many reasons.
Â
"I try hard to stay on top of my time management," said Angelel. "I have a Google calendar with everything I ever do, probably to a degree that's considered a little crazy. I try to maximize efficiency and be really good with my time because we have so little of it as a student-athlete.
 "I also really like learning."
Â
That lust for learning has allowed Angelel to grow academically, athletically, professionally and socially.
Â
Lehigh, and specifically the IBE program, is a perfect fit for this ambitious junior from Bellevue, Washington who has strong aspirations once he graduates.
Â
"Right now, I'm probably going to graduate next December with a degree in IBE finance, then I'll probably graduate," said Angelel. "Unless I get a great job offer, I'll probably come back for a ninth semester to get a second degree – a full computer science degree."
Â
Angelel is a type A personality who's getting the most out of his Lehigh student-athlete experience. He couldn't be more grateful for everything that has already come his way.
Â
"Seeing a completely different culture over the summer was a great experience and something I would have never been able to do without the Tauck Scholarship program," he said. "As a student-athlete, you don't get a lot of opportunities to travel and a lot of times, it's hard to do internships because of the team schedule. It was the best opportunity to travel and get work experience, and still not miss any lacrosse.
Â
"It was the perfect-case scenario."
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