Nearly 200 first-generation students are graduating with the Class of 2025. Here are a few who have had an amazing impact on campus.
Alyssa Morales ’25
Hometown: Newark, New Jersey
Major: Political Science and Global Studies, History, and Anthropology and Sociology minors
Destination: Widener University Commonwealth Law School
Life on Campus
While on campus, I served as president of the Cultural Greek Council and was a sister in Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, a Marcon Institute Fellow, president of Future Lawyers of Color, and a mentor and program assistant at Lehigh University Student Scholars Institute (LUSSI). I was inducted into the Order of Omega, a leadership honor society, as well as Tri-Alpha, a national honor society for first-generation college students. I participated in Passport to Success, the Global Citizenship Program, and recently contributed to the publication Black in Color, where I wrote the political section.
Challenges and Success
In my family, having too much time off can be seen as laziness, so I have worked full time as a patient representative in the St. Luke’s emergency room and as a dispatcher at the public safety office at Northampton Community College. It made for very busy days, and I could forget to take care of myself, but I learned to manage my time wisely. Being involved on campus in so many ways has been my greatest success, especially as a mentor at LUSSI as I assisted other first-generation students. I helped to grow the Lambda Theta Alpha chapter. I feel like I made a mark on campus.
Celebration for Family
When I think of my mother, a single parent who is disabled, this moment for me is about us. We made it. It was hard but doable. And we did it. I feel like Lehigh was a cocoon where I was able to embrace who I was, watch people thrive around me, and then emerge. It was a true metamorphosis.
Lehigh Community
The people here are what makes Lehigh the best. We are close-knit. I can meet alumni who create opportunities for me, eat dinner at a professor’s house, and go for a run with the president. The folks at the Student Access and Success office look at my car when something is wrong. And no matter what I want to do, Lehigh helps me do it. The student opportunity fund helps me figure things out so that I never shy away from something I want to accomplish.
Lehigh Bucket List
I was thinking I might finally step on the shield logo engraved outside Alumni Memorial since I have worked so hard over four years to avoid that bad luck. I plan to go on a Pace the President run and get a selfie with him. I also will jump into the fountain in front of Alumni Memorial after I graduate.
What’s Next
Since I was five years old, I have told people I would be a lawyer. I have held my ground on that plan my whole life. In high school, I was in a law club where I would write briefs and debate. I participated in several pre-law programs, including Drexel University’s Diversity Pipeline Program, the Penn Carey Law Outreach Program, and LatinoJustice's LAWbound Luis J. DeGraffe Pre-Law Academy. I was also lucky enough to intern with Representative Steve Samuelson. While in Harrisburg, he had me look at Widener. I just fell in love with it.
Diana Nguyen ’25
Hometown: South Plainfield, New Jersey
Major: Economics and Statistics, Dual Degree
Destination: Everest RE Group
Life on Campus
I had three jobs on campus, including office assistant in the graduate program office in the College of Business, statistics tutor, and grader in the math department. I also was active with PreLUsion, a pre-orientation experience for first-year students. I served as a leader for that program for a year and as lead coordinator for two years.
Challenges and Success
While I am proud of keeping my inbox read, sorted, and empty, I am proud of being selected to attend the National Conference on Student Leadership in Orlando, Florida, which was sponsored by the Office of Student Involvement. I also helped secure the funding through a presentation to faculty and staff to buy and place a refrigerator inside the food pantry in the health and wellness center so that fresh produce and other products can be available to students in need. At a recent scholarship dinner, I had the courage to ask the president to pose with me at the photobooth.
But there was a culture shock for me at Lehigh. Just a general worry about how I could afford such a wonderful experience. I sat in my dorm room crying as I tried to complete federal financial aid forms. I then tried to do as much as I could here. With so many opportunities on campus, I said yes to every opportunity presented to me. Saying yes too often got me so stressed that I broke out in hives … twice. I had to learn a hard lesson on time management, so I slowed down, started to say no, and managed my time differently — not doing it all but getting the most out of my time. But it can be hard to relax if you don’t let yourself.
Celebration for Family
Some in our country may think that the American dream is dying, but I feel that I still have a chance at it. My father escaped the war in Vietnam and made so many sacrifices for us and worked so hard so I could focus on school and get a good education. That has happened. I had an internship one summer and earned more than my father did. I couldn’t believe that, but it helped me to help him and my family.
Lehigh Community
Lehigh makes it easy to get involved and meet new people. It is like the students are in a metaphorical raft together, no matter if it is a class or a club, and we talk and help each other and care. That extends out to the alumni network, too. I have gone bowling with alumni, so they are real people and great mentors. The faculty and staff are similar. One time, I was struggling in a class, and a professor approached me, asked me to come to office hours, and then reviewed five weeks of material in order to make sure I grasped the concepts and saw how they connected.
Lehigh Bucket List
I want to walk up South Mountain to the Bethlehem Star. I also need to return a fork to President Helble. I had dinner at his house a few years ago, and a fork fell into my purse. I have used it for years with pride, but it is time for it to go home … unless I frame it for posterity.
What’s Next
The process to find an internship was daunting. I applied to many and interviewed at several. Some third interviews left me in tears as I tackled logic puzzles. But Everest saw something in me. I have interned there over two summers and then received a full-time offer. The people there are fun and smart. They really care about wellbeing, checking in with me over coffee and virtual calls. I am excited to be there. I have already passed two of my actuarial exams and will continue to prepare for the other exams.
Kevin Dotel ’25
Hometown: Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Major: Computer Science and Business
Destination: J.P. Morgan
Life on Campus
I have been involved in several leadership positions on campus. I served on the Student Senate, first as a member, then as vice president during my junior year, and as president during my senior year. I was honored to be asked by President Helble to sit on the hiring committee for the vice president of student affairs, a crucial position to students on campus. I was an orientation leader my sophomore year. I am a student research team leader in the Bina Lab, run by Maryam Rahnemoonfar, associate professor of computer science and engineering. The lab focuses on using artificial intelligence to assist with disaster response, particularly analyzing aerial videos of hurricane damage to identify buildings in need of repair. I help coordinate a team of students and manage parts of our research pipeline.
Challenges and Success
I was the first in my family to graduate from college, so the process to tour, apply, and enroll was new and a bit daunting for me and us. My family is from the Dominican Republic, and everyone has helped me in a variety of ways, like my aunt, who stayed up late on calls with me when I struggled during my first year as I tried to figure out federal financial aid applications and loans. During that first year, I often felt like I was trying to catch up to my peers.
But I know that over these four years, I have had many small but tangible victories. Some that stand out include implementing a mandatory community service component into the Student Senate. Members now have to give a minimum of four hours a semester to the community and represent Lehigh in Bethlehem. I also worked with a team and helped to co-author a paper that was accepted at the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium in Australia. It is remarkable to think that I was published as an undergraduate.
Celebration for Family
I am glad there is not a limit on the number of people who can attend graduation. I will have at least 20 family members there to celebrate this moment. It is not just a celebration of me and the work I put in here; it is a celebration of us. My family assisted me over and over. So every victory of mine is a victory for my family. The chance they took to leave the island and come here makes a celebration like this resonate with all of us.
I have learned that I can be so much more than I thought I could be. Of course, I had ambitions, but the amazing friends, clubs, professors, and alumni inspired me and pushed me. The passion of others helped me go further to an even better version of myself. As the saying goes, pressure makes diamonds.
Lehigh Community
On my first visit to Lehigh, I hiked up to Mountaintop, not knowing there was a bus. Sounds silly to say now, but this is where the Lehigh community matters most. They give great guidance so we can get smarter and grow into the people we want to be. The interactions I have had with members of the Lehigh community from that first day up until today have helped to open my eyes to ways to grow, whether through clubs or research or the close contacts and friendships we make.
One opportunity that was truly impactful for me was LehighSiliconValley, a week-long winter term program that immerses students into the technical and entrepreneurial ecosystem in San Francisco. Experiences like that make an impact and reframe how you see the world.
Lehigh Bucket List
I want to eat a few more panini sandwiches at the farmers’ market on campus. Those are the best.
What’s Next
I had heard about the Advancing Hispanics & Latinos Fellowship Program offered over the summer through J.P. Morgan and applied. Months later, I heard that I was selected for an interview. I was offered a position after my sophomore year in their Ohio office. The following summer, I focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning in their New York and New Jersey offices. The work I did in my major was very forward facing to prepare me for this work, and I’m excited to apply my education and continue to learn.
