More than a leader: Elijah Blaylark leaves a lasting impact on campus

Elijah Blaylark, ‘25, pushes through the glass doors of Williams Hall into the Global Commons. He circles the room, stopping at each table. Twenty one minutes remain on a timer displayed across the screens of the multi-monitor board.

Popsicle sticks, Elmer’s glue, painter’s tape and plain pizza slices are scattered in front of teams of students.

Some of these students are close friends of Blaylark’s. Others he’s meeting for the first time. 

All are greeted with the same tranquil enthusiasm. 

Thirteen minutes remain by the time Blaylark settles at a table and begins his section of the bridge.

He starts by arranging three popsicle sticks in a triangle and taping the edges.

A final glance at the board reveals he has no more than five minutes left.

But Blaylark doesn’t rush, as he delicately tapes the corners of his structure and presses each fresh layer of tape down. 

When the board displays quadruple zeros, Blaylark has only finished constructing the bones of a single triangular prism. 

But his demeanor remains placid and undisturbed. 

Blaylark knows his success depends on his ability to work in tandem with groupmates, not his individual efforts. 

All he must do is build his section to his standards and rely on those around him to support him as best they can. 

It’s a strategy Blaylark isn’t only comfortable with but one he lives by — one that has shaped his impact on the Lehigh community throughout the past four years. 

While he’ll be graduating in just a few weeks, Blaylark has made a mark on many lives at Lehigh, as he has prioritized building and fostering relationships to benefit both himself and those around him. In doing so, he’s developed a leadership style rooted in accountability, passion and connection. 

“From the moment I met Elijah I knew he was going to do great things — we all did,” said Tommy Anderson, ‘24. 

Anderson was assigned as Blaylark’s mentor through the Lehigh University Student Scholars Institute program, and he said he immediately took note of his maturity and ambition as a first-year. 

Blaylark’s ability to empower those around him within minutes of meeting them was something Anderson said he had never seen in another student. It wasn’t long before, other community leaders took notice too. 

Word about Blaylark reached the Black Student Union through a handful of Student Scholars Institute mentors, and within a few days, he was offered the position of freshman representative.

Blaylark happily accepted. 

This would become the start of Blaylark’s long list of leadership roles at Lehigh. 

More importantly for Blaylark, the position allowed him to build connections with dozens of Lehigh community members and foster those relationships for the benefit of the university’s Black population.  

Data compiled by the NCAA shows that Black men have a 40% completion rate at four-year public institutions — the lowest of any racial or ethnic demographic. It’s a statistic Blaylark is acutely aware of and one that drives his involvement in organizations like the Black Student Union, the National Society of Black Engineers, Student Scholars Institute and the multicultural fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi. 

“It’s something that I take very seriously,” Blaylark said. “I want to be able to positively impact Black men…and set them up for success beyond Lehigh.”

As president of the Lehigh chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, Blaylark holds himself and those around him to a shared standard of excellence. 

When Justin Burrell, ‘26, was applying to join Kappa Alpha Psi, it was Blaylark who checked in with him regularly, providing the accountability he needed to get through the lengthy application process.   

“It’s yet again another story of Elijah holding those around him to the standards he holds for himself,” Burrell said. “By Elijah reaching out to us, we inadvertently reach out to him when he falls short of the standards he sets for himself, and then we’re all better off for it.” 

It’s this culture of accountability that makes Blaylark’s passion for those around him so infectious. And nowhere is Blaylark’s passion more evident than in his role as a Student Scholars Institute mentor.

Donnie Roberts, the assistant director of the Center for Student Access and Success, said there’s always a sense of pride in whichever Student Scholars Institute family Blaylark is placed in that year. 

“His family is always the one that is better than all the other families,” Roberts said. “And he always takes it one step further to build that community.”

Blaylark is also a practice player on the women’s basketball team. Women’s basketball player Ella Stemmer, ‘25, has known Blaylark for four years now. 

In addition to his passion, she said it’s his genuine care for others that so often inspires those around him. 

“His love for the game, not just basketball in general but women’s basketball specifically, really shows,” Stemmer said. “He shows up every single day willing to work, and we love having him around for that.”

But Blaylark also acknowledged the standards he sets for himself and others can be demanding, and it’s just as important to make people feel comfortable coming to him for help as it is to hold them accountable.

Both Burrell and Roberts spoke to the intensity with which Blaylark listens, encouraging his peers to turn to him in moments of need. 

Blaylark said it’s this balance of accountability and genuine connection that  fueled his  impact on Lehigh’s campus. 

“You’ll notice that all the things I’m involved in on campus, (National Society of Black Engineers), (Black Student Union), LUSSI, they’re all centered around people,” he said. “That’s not an accident. It’s those people and those relationships that hold the biggest value for me.”  

Nothing means more to Blaylark than his relationships. 

They are his outlet for learning and growth.

They are his support system. 

They are what gets him out of bed in the morning. 

They are the essence of all that is important to him.

“If you break it down, all we have as humans is our relationship with one another and the experiences we share together,” Blaylark said. “Beyond that, nothing else really matters.”