Young Alumni Council

She is a Development Officer at Vanderbilt University where she handles major gifts. Previously, she worked at Spotlight PR and Prudential Financial. Sydney graduated from Lehigh University with a B.S. in Business & Economics. She majored in Marketing and received a minor in Africana Studies. Outside of work, Sydney is an active member of Lehigh's class of 2016 Reunion Committee, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and Bridge Scholars of Chattanooga. She enjoys painting, writing, and quoting The Office. She is getting married in the Fall of 2024. This is her fourth year on the Young Alumni Council.

Jigar Patel is a supervising senior consultant at Sia Partners in New York City, specializing in financial institutions. His time at Sia Partners, and previously at EY, has exposed him to post-merger integration, data and technology platform simplification, financial regulatory compliance program development and regulatory reporting, and more. He graduated from Lehigh University in 2017 with a B.S. in business and economics, majoring in business information systems and accounting and minoring in religious studies. Patel is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the State of New York.

Outside of work, Patel is involved in the Lehigh Asian Alumni Network (LAAN), the Lehigh Club of Philadelphia, and the CBG Foundation, a family nonprofit benefiting children in Thuvavi, Gujarat, India. For fun, he likes to perfect his pizza-making skills.

She graduated from Lehigh with a Bachelor of Science in environmental engineering and political science from the Integrated Degree in Engineering, Arts and Sciences (IDEAS) program. At Lehigh, she participated in several campus activities, including working as an admissions tour guide, serving on the Association of Student Alumni as the Class of 2019 Senior Class Gift Committee chair, and playing active roles in Dance Marathon, LU’s Finest Step Team, and Kappa Alpha Theta. She is also a member of the Martindale Society, and traveled to Malaysia in 2018 on a research trip. In addition to supporting YAC on the executive board, she serves on the Junior Board of Girls, Inc. of New York City and as Chair of Cushman & Wakefield’s Women’s Integrated Network. She was the recipient of the Alumni Award at the Class of 2019’s 5th Year Reunion.

Michael Wu ('20) studied in the Integrated Business and Engineering (IBE) program with a focus in Bioelectronics and Biophotonics. During his time at Lehigh, he was involved in various activities across campus including starting two startups, sitting on the executive boards of the Lehigh BioMedical Society, IBE Council, and a club focused on design-build competitions. He was also a Rossin Junior Fellow for the P.C. Rossin School of Engineering where he was a teaching assistant for the senior engineering capstone project. Outside of academics, Michael was also involved with the Ultimate frisbee team and the ski club. Currently, Michael is living and working in New York. 

While at Lehigh, she was deeply involved in campus life through the Gryphon Society, Admissions Fellows, Lehigh University Prison Project, and Alpha Omega Epsilon, among others.

Her dedication to Lehigh remains strong, as she regularly attends events like Lehigh-Lafayette, the Rally, and Reunion. Each year, she interviews prospective students as an Alumni Volunteers for Admission (AVA) member and emphasizes that the best part of her Lehigh experience was the lifelong connections she built within the community.

Professionally, Sara is a Curriculum Specialist at Savvas Learning Company, where she collaborates with educational institutions to improve learning products and teaching methods. Sara holds two master’s degrees in Higher Education Administration and Secondary Education, respectively, and is currently working towards her Ed.D. Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership at Northeastern University.

Currently, Sara lives in York, PA, and is always eager to connect with fellow Lehigh alumni!

Hunter graduated from Lehigh's College of Arts and Sciences in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in History, with honors, and earned a Master of Science in Management from the Lehigh College of Business in 2021. While at Lehigh, Hunter wrote an honors thesis in history, loved playing pick-up basketball at Taylor Gym, and was involved in Greek Life. Hunter has been a member of the Young Alumni Council Since 2022 and sincerely appreciates the opportunity to remain involved with the University through the Council.

Myles Bagley graduated from Lehigh with his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. He currently works and resides in Georgia. While on campus, his favorite Lehigh tradition was Rivalry Week and the bonfire.

During her time at Lehigh she was active in Admissions Ambassadors, Greek Life and was a Campus Manager for Fresh Prints. She is currently based in New York where she works in Cyber Risk at Capital One. One of her favorite things at Lehigh was her Iacocca Internship where she spent 2 months working in New Delhi.

During her time at Lehigh, Marlena was involved in several organizations including Kappa Alpha Theta, Greek Emerging Leaders,  and Lehigh University Dance Marathon (LUDM). Marlena served on the Executive Boards of Kappa Alpha Theta as Chief Operations Officer, LUDM as the Morale Chair, was a Mentor in Greek Emerging Leaders, and was a Rho Gamma her senior year.

After graduation, Marlena started as a receptionist at Eldridge. She quickly moved into an Executive Assistant role, supporting the Chief Talent Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. Currently, Marlena has moved onto the Human Resources team and is an HR Generalist at the firm.

In her free time, Marlena often attends Lehigh events in the NYC, Westchester and Fairfield Country areas hoping to connect with other Lehigh Alumni and meet new people! She is also heavily involved in the Stamford, CT community where she lives.

Evan is a graduate of Lehigh's Class of 2020 with dual degrees in accounting and computer science and business and a minor in Chinese. While at Lehigh, Choy was a member of the Marching 97 and the Lehigh Tour Guide Program. He also continues to volunteer his time for the honorary band fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi. Today, he is a licensed CPA in New York, where he lives and works for Deloitte in their IT and specialized assurance offering. He is also a Juris Doctor candidate at New York Law School in New York City.

Will Constant is a cybersecurity professional based in Washington, DC. He is a Federal Deployment Manager for Palo Alto Networks, where he helps federal agencies use security tools for better cybersecurity hygiene. Will graduated from Lehigh University with a B.A in Political Science and received a minor in Economics. Besides work Will serves as a volunteer on the Alumni Volunteers for Admissions. During his time at Lehigh, he was involved with Student Senate, the Black Student Union, the Office of First Year Experience, Diversity Recruitment via Lehigh Admissions Office, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and the TUMBAO dance team.

Elyse majored in mechanical engineering and started her career as an Application Engineer at SKF. She recently graduated with an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and is excited to join BCG as a consultant this fall. You can find Elyse outside on scenic walks, skiing, and traveling with her partner, Kush. 

A class of 2022 graduate, Santiago majored in Economics and Political Science with a minor in Global Studies. Santiago was a proud Posse scholar, manager of the Women's basketball team, VP of Finance for Student Senate, and the Latino student association. Santiago proudly represents the Lehigh community in San Francisco as a finance analyst at Alphabet Inc.

Dakota is a graduate of the Class of 2017 with a degree in Business Information Systems and a minor in International Relations. She currently works as Business Intelligence Analyst for Process Insights. While at Lehigh, Dakota was a member of the Global Citizenship program, Student Senate, Alpha Gamma Delta and Break the Silence (BTS). She currently resides in Philadelphia, PA.

Adam is currently the Founder & CEO of Sway, the platform for planning great in-person events. While at Lehigh, Goldstein was the captain of the Ice Hockey team, a member of the Theta Xi fraternity, and a member of various other clubs on campus. Recently, Goldstein was named one of Lehigh's 10 Under 10 alumni to watch. He continues to support Lehigh by leading numerous Entrepreneurial courses based at Lehigh@NasdaqCenter in San Francisco.

Erin Garrity of Titusville, New Jersey, is an intelligent services account engineer at Trane. She graduated with a degree in chemical engineering and a minor in business. She is a sister of Pi Beta Phi and served as their vice president of member development in 2016. Garrity was also actively involved in the larger Greek Life community through her roles as program coordinator of the Greek Emerging Leaders (GEM) Program and vice president of Greek relations on the Panhellenic Council. In 2018, she was selected to address her peers during commencement, where she wrapped up her speech with lyrics from “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. Garrity is excited to remain engaged with the Lehigh community through her participation on the Young Alumni Council.

While at Lehigh, she was a member of the Philosophy Club and the president of Phi Sigma Tau, the philosophy honors society. Since graduating, she has worked as an educator in Atlanta, GA and Edinburgh, Scotland. Meg currently resides in the UK with her two cats and is a PhD Candidate at the University of St Andrews.

Allie Guccione graduated from Lehigh University in 2013 with a major in accounting and a minor in sociology. Guccione currently lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, and works at Tiffany and Co. in controls. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

Celeen Hefele is a graduate from the Class of 2016 with degrees in economics and English and a minor in entrepreneurship. She currently works as an M&A consultant at PwC. While at Lehigh, Hefele was extremely involved with the Office of First Year Experience, being an Orientation Leader for two years and then an orientation coordinator. She was on the executive board of her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, and participated in numerous other clubs on campus. She was awarded the Contribution to Student Life award while at Lehigh. Recently, she was involved with the planning committee for the Class of 2016's reunion. She continues to support Lehigh by leading the case competition with PwC, where she works as a Deals Senior Manager, and she participates in interview preparation and resume reviews for current Lehigh students.

While at Lehigh, Stephanie was a Lehigh Liners manager, and Kappa Delta member. Today, she is a Business Analyst, at CIEE in Philadelphia PA.

He earned his Master’s degree the following year w/ a major in Secondary Education. As a student, he was an active member and Vice President of the Club Taekwondo team, Orientation Leader & Camp Hawk Counselor in the Office of First-Year Experience, Student Senator, and Tutor, and later Graduate Assistant of the Community Service Office. He also participated in LeaderShape, and got to learn abroad twice, once in the summer, as a Tauck Scholar in the Lehigh in Prague program, and again to Vietnam & Singapore in the 2019 Global Lab. After his time as a student, he taught a mix of subjects across multiple school districts in Pennsylvania for 3 years before moving back to the area of his birth in Paterson, NJ. Joey is currently a Compliance Analyst for Optima Partners in New York City.

At Lehigh, she was an avid member of the Lehigh Family, serving as a campus tour guide, orientation leader, and Photo Editor of The Brown and White, on the executive board of her sorority, Alpha Phi, and was a member of several campus organizations.

Annalise is from Oakland, California, but currently lives in New York City, where she works alongside fellow Lehigh alums at a medtech start-up, Otolith Labs.

John Larson grew up on a farm just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. He joined the five other Lehigh alumni in his family when he earned a Bachelor of Science in business in 2017, with majors in supply chain management and marketing and a minor in philosophy. His favorite Lehigh experience was using the Tauck Scholarship to spend eight weeks studying in Shanghai, China! While at Lehigh, John sang with the Melismatics a cappella group and University Choir and walked up and down Lehigh’s hills backwards as an admissions tour guide. Larson is now a Senior Managing consultant for IBM Consulting; he specializes in launching global ERP implementations for clients across industries. Outside of work, John traveling, camping and hiking, or spending time with friends and family.

He is currently a Compliance Associate at Guggenheim Securities, a boutique investment bank in New York City. Prior to Guggenheim, John was a Risk Consultant at KPMG, specializing in the Healthcare and Life Sciences sector. John graduated with a B.A. in International Relations and Economics in 2019.

Outside of work and the Young Alumni Council, John is involved with other Lehigh alumni organizations, such as the Lehigh Asian Alumni Network (LAAN) and the Alumni Volunteers for Admissions. He also serves on the Associate Board of the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF), an organization that funds community-based non-profit organizations working to improve lives and transform communities in the Korean and Asian American communities in the greater New York area.

Jenny graduated with the highest honors from Lehigh in 2021, double majoring in Accounting and Business Information Systems with double minors in Political Science and Chinese. On campus, she was heavily involved with the F1RST+ (first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented minority) community, spearheading initiatives to promote equitable student access and success. She also was involved with the Martindale (Argentina) program, Beta Alpha Psi, Beta Gamma Sigma, and the Dean's Council. Jenny is currently working in tech at a Hoboken-based start up and was previously at KPMG. She is excited to be on YAC to encourage more younger alumni to stay connected and engaged with Lehigh

Raised in Central New Jersey, Maida graduated from Lehigh with a Bachelor of Science in Business & Economics and went on to earn her MBA from the University of Notre Dame in 2021. While at Lehigh, Maida served as president of her sorority, Pi Beta Phi, and as a tour guide with the Lehigh University admissions team. She currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

During her time on campus, Natalie was involved in music at Lehigh, singing in the University Choir, Dolce and Off the Record. She was also a tour guide, admissions fellow, Rossin Junior fellow, SPEAK member, Admissions graduate assistant, and a member of SWE and Alpha Omega Epsilon. Natalie now works for Saint Gobain, an international manufacturing company, as a project engineer for the CertainTeed Architectural business based out of Malvern, PA. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, singing in the Bethlehem Bach choir, traveling and reading.

During her time at Lehigh, Skyler was involved in several clubs and organizations including Beta Gamma Sigma, College of Business and Economics Dean's Council, the TRAC Writing Fellows Program, Pi Beta Phi, Women in Business, Panhellenic Council, and the HAWKS Peer Mentor Program. After graduation, Skyler moved to New York City and joined Citibank in the Corporate Banking Financial Institutions Group where she interned during her junior summer. She is currently an Associate on the team. Skyler is very excited to be a part of the Young Alumni Council and is looking forward to engaging with alumni and giving back to Lehigh!

Diana Nicholas is a proud member of Lehigh's Young Alumni Council! Raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Nicholas graduated from Lehigh in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a minor in Entrepreneurship. While at Lehigh, she served on the Panhellenic Judicial Board, participated in Lehigh Silicon Valley, and held executive roles for her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi, and University Productions. After graduating, she moved out to the San Francisco Bay Area and currently is a co-founder at a cybersecurity start-up, Anetac. Diana is very involved with Lehigh@NASDAQ and the Baker Institute mentoring multiple students.

She graduated Lehigh in May 2021 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Information Systems and Marketing. Based in San Francisco, Julia is thrilled to be a part of YAC and engage with other Lehigh alumni. At Lehigh, she was heavily involved with Student Senate, the TRAC Fellows Program, and the Office of First Year Experience. She’s excited to come back to Lehigh for YAC meetings and the Lehigh-Lafayette game, especially to eat takeout from Tulum on the Front Lawn.

At Lehigh, Paulson was a Gryphon, an athlete on the Women’s Rowing Team, a member of the Student Athlete Council, and the president of the Residence Hall Association. For the last few years, she has been writing the Class of 2014’s columns for the Lehigh Bulletin! She has been working in student affairs since graduation and currently oversees an Off-Campus Living Office at Temple University in Philadelphia. Leah just finished her Ed.D. in Leadership and Learning in Organizations at Vanderbilt University in August 2024.

She is currently in Air Products’ Chemical Engineering rotational program working as a project engineer and lives in Conshohocken, Pa. While at Lehigh, Megan was a tour guide, Admissions Fellow, Gryphon, and a member of the Society of Women Engineers, women’s club soccer, and Association of Student Alumni. Her favorite Lehigh tradition is the Rally and is excited to hold her class’ flag this year.

Lauryn Ragone, Class of 2017 and 2018, graduated from Lehigh University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism. She received the Presidential Scholarship to pursue her Master’s in Education and special education certification. During her time at Lehigh, she was an editor and reporter for The Brown and White, the Director of Philanthropy for her sorority Zeta Tau Alpha, Director of University Productions Arts and Excursions, and an Admissions tour guide.

Ragone currently resides in the Lehigh Valley where she is a Special Education High School English teacher and serves as the Department Chair. Outside her role as an educator, Ragone is an active member of the Junior League of the Lehigh Valley and the alumni chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha. She loves returning to Lehigh to walk the campus, attend lectures, and sporting events. Ragone looks forward to serving on Lehigh’s Young Alumni Council to support alumni in reconnecting with their alma mater.

Jordy Salcedo-Giraldo graduated from Lehigh in 2016 with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry. During his time at Lehigh he was involved in several organizations including Lehigh EMS, Orientation Leader, and Lehigh Dance Marathon. After Lehigh, he went on to medical school at Drexel University College of Medicine where he graduated in 2020. Jordy is currently a Pediatric Nephrology Fellow at Children's National Hospital in Washington DC where he is training to take care of children with kidney diseases.

Ankit graduated in the Class of 2020 with a degree in bioengineering and a minor in economics. He currently lives in Bergen County, NJ but works in Lower Manhattan. He is currently a Loan Consultant for a firm called Better Mortgage. During his time at Lehigh, he was a part of several organizations including, Student Senate, ASA, The Gryphon Society, SASA, RHA, and the Lehigh Consulting Group. His passion for continuing to be a part of the Lehigh community post graduation led him to become part of YAC and I strive to continue to engage with the Lehigh community as well as keep his peers in the loop of this great institution.

Shawn Yin graduated from Lehigh in 2018 with a degree in chemical engineering. He currently lives in San Diego and works as a Process Science Engineer in biotech. While at Lehigh, his favorite professor was Dr. Tuzla in the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering department as he has seen and experienced the care he has for his students, while on campus and after they are an alum. Shawn’s favorite places around campus include FML for studying and the Goose, with his go-to sandwich of Johnny Bravo.