From The Future: Dear First-Year Emily

Dear First-Year Emily,

I remember you. You're the girl who packed a bag (or three) and moved across the country to attend a small university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The girl who fell in love with a school after just one snowy tour around campus and, despite your mother's well-intended entreating, was prepared to begin a new chapter 2,842 miles away. With the comfort of the familiar stationed firmly in your rearview, you're the girl who faced the great unknown armed only with a class schedule and a roster of future teammates. But most notably, you're the girl who sat in orientation asking the most terrifying question possible. "What did I get myself into?"

Spoiler alert: four years from now, that girl doesn't exist. In her place stands a woman enriched by great friendships, hardened by challenges, and educated by experiences. But don't worry! I didn't ruin the ending for you. In fact, the best parts of this story lie in the mess of chapters in the middle. It's in those middle parts that you'll grow, learn, and change more than you ever thought possible. After four years at Lehigh, you'll transform without even realizing it, and in a blink, it'll be over. It's an evolution worth every sacrifice, and although the most pivotal moments of your collegiate journey are best experienced in the present, here's a short list of things to keep in mind:

Stretch often
- You're no yogi. And while the merits of regular muscle maintenance cannot be overstated (just ask your junior-year knees), I'm not referring to limberness when I advise you to stretch. I'm talking about your willingness to venture outside of your comfort zone. Right now, few phrases induce as much anxiety as, "let's just go with the flow!" In fact, "flow" is never something you've been heralded for. But when opportunities to stretch yourself in this area arise, seize them. It's in the unplanned moments that you'll grow the most. Be it a late-night adventure with your soon-to-be best friends or an impromptu run up the mountain with the women's basketball team, the events that operate off the pages of your color-coded schedule are often the most precious.
Learn how to take a punch
- That's right. You'll note that this bullet point doesn't say, "learn how to block a punch," or even, "learn how to cunningly avoid a punch." Nope. Because at the end of the day, despite your very best efforts, there's going be a punch that lands right smack in the middle of your eyeballs. It's going to hurt. There might be a bruise later on. But the most crucial decision you make in these unfortunate scenarios is the decision you make immediately next. You could fall to the ground and throw in the towel or you can take the hit in all of its inevitable glory and reset. Throughout your time at Lehigh, you will fail more than you ever have in your life thus far. Astronomy class. Your first squat test. Heck, 70% of your sport is failure on a good day. These failures hurt, but the sooner you learn to callous yourself to injury and look for your next punch to throw, the better fighter you become. Your conviction to get tough quick is what will help you rally your team when hope seems lost and finish a project when the timeline seems impossible. In the end, the winner is the one with her glove hoisted in the sky, regardless of the black eyes she got along the way.
Always. Be. Laughing.
- This will be the easiest box to check for you, but there is no harm in underscoring its importance. You'll find that every memory you'll cherish throughout your time at Lehigh rings with that hurt-your-belly kind of laugh. You'll hear it when you lift the Patriot League Championship trophy with your teammates. You'll hear it at the late-night Hawk's Nest visits. You'll hear it when you dress up for Halloween and when you get Rita's after a successful practice. A pivotal moment in your career at Lehigh is actually right around the corner, when Eric Markovcy stops you dead in your tracks as a wisecracking freshman and tells you: "There's no laughing in the weight room," as you're putting your binder away in the closet. Without thinking (and certainly without the earned respect to do so), you retort, "I know no other way, Eric." Remember this. Because there will be times when the last thing you want to do is laugh. It's your steadfast adherence to your nature as a jokester that balances the drive, competitiveness, and grit required of a college athlete. And while your trainers may bemoan your one-liners in the moment, you'll later learn that they respect Lehigh softball's ability to play hard and work harder. Out of everything you'll experience at Lehigh, you'll miss laughing alongside your favorite people the most.

These four years at Lehigh University will gift you with more than you'll ever be able to repay. Your class will become your lifelong best friends, tied together by unconditional respect and ceaseless compassion. Your professors and advisors will mentor you and help mold your passion for design and self-expression. Your coaches and trainers will commit countless hours to the unearthing of your potential and bolster you and your team to great things. Graciously accept these gifts and look for every opportunity to impart the same joy onto others.

So, first-year Emily, what did you get yourself into? The simple answer: the best four years of your life. Buckle up.

With love,
Future Emily

Completed Event: Softball versus Lafayette on May 3, 2026 , Win , 8, to, 1

Completed Event: Softball versus Lafayette on May 2, 2026 , Loss , 4, to, 5

Completed Event: Softball versus Lafayette on May 2, 2026 , Loss , 9, to, 12

Completed Event: Softball at Villanova on April 28, 2026 , Win , 5, to, 0

Completed Event: Softball versus Hofstra on April 26, 2026 , Win , 7, to, 1

Completed Event: Softball versus Georgetown on April 26, 2026 , Win , 8, to, 6

Completed Event: Softball at Rutgers on April 24, 2026 , Loss , 3, to, 8

Lehigh University Athletics

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