Lehigh students returned to campus after winter break with new experiences and memories from their time away. Students worked, traveled, took classes and spent time in their hometowns.
Sara Moran, ‘22, said she had her mind on her last semester in Bethlehem over break.
Moran, a double major in biology and health, medicine and society, spent part of her winter break shadowing a doctor at Oak Hill Hospital in Spring Hill, Florida, which she described as a somewhat poor town.
Moran said working at the hospital and in the surrounding community was an invaluable experience.
“It was interesting to see how people in different classes interacted with the doctor and how the doctor interacted with them,” Moran said. “It kind of showed me how I want to interact with patients in the future.”
Becca Weissman, ‘25, spent time in Florida over break as well. She went on vacation with some of her best friends from high school.
Once Weissman returned from the trip, she said she spent the majority of break taking a Lehigh winter class and applying for summer internships.
“I decided to enroll in Organizational Behavior because I thought it would be a beneficial use of my free time,” Weissman said. “The course also helped me realize my interest in the management major at Lehigh.”
Weissman said she was eager to return to campus and participate in the formal recruitment process to join a sorority.
Matt Mahland, ‘24, traveled to Hawaii with his family over winter break, exploring the island of Oahu and Maui.
A view of the rocky beach from on the Road to Hana in Maui, Hawaii. The Road to Hana is a long road along the coast with waterfalls and different hiking trails. (courtesy of Matt Mahland)
Before returning home to Larchmont, New York, Mahland said he spent time surfing and hiking along the coast where he saw waterfalls.
“It was interesting to see how the culture was very different in Maui,” Mahland said. “It was a lot more touristy compared to the North Shore.”
While some students, like Mahland, traveled over winter break, others spent their time off in their hometowns.
Evan Epstein, ‘22, spent his winter break at home in Los Angeles, California. Epstein said he was happy to spend quality time with his extended family.
“I didn’t do much over break,” Epstein said, “but I was excited to come back to school because it’s my last semester.”
Student-athlete David Missry, ‘24, said he looked forward to being back at school for his tennis season.
Missry spent winter break at home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, recovering from shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. After trying to play through the injury and doing physical therapy for years, it was time to get it repaired, Missry said.
“I was excited to return to school because despite my injury and inability to participate in the upcoming tennis season, there is some silver lining in the sense that I can still cheer my teammates on every match and be an integral part of the team, while also having more time to dedicate to hanging out with my friends outside of the team,” Missry said.
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