The following post was written by Rebekah Campo ’16, who is working in the Alumni Association office this summer. The First-Year Student Rally takes place this Saturday at 7 p.m. Watch our Facebook and Twitter for pictures from the event.

There are few students here at Lehigh that realize just how much work goes in behind-the-scenes to make their times while here and afterward memorable. Before working in the Alumni Association this summer, I was one of them.

I had the amazing opportunity this summer to help plan Sendoffs and the Rally; both proved to be challenging in their own respects, yet each was rewarding as well. Reaching out to and speak with nervous students and parents prior to Sendoffs across the country brought back a flood of my own memories as an incoming freshman.

Now going into my third year at Lehigh, it is hard to believe just how much time has passed as I can remember perfectly the day I moved into my freshman dorm room worried about the friends I would make, the roommate I was assigned, and living away from home for the first time. As I spoke with each student hoping they would attend their own Sendoff, I could hear the trepidation in their voices, not wanting to walk into a room full of future classmates, staff, and other current Lehigh students. Each time I encouraged them to attend with the possibility of meeting a familiar face for those first few hectic days or even someone who would end up being one of their best friends here on campus as I had.

My favorite task was contacting the various flag bearers for each of the classes, many enthusiastic to return to campus once more; so many of the flag bearers that I spoke to already had the Rally on their calendars, having done it so many times over the years that they had become seasoned professionals. The stories alumni had to share about their own times at Lehigh always brightened my day; as each was enthusiastic to share a fond memory of their time here on campus or that they still remembered their own Rallies despite their self-proclaimed forgetful minds. Each story had its own flair and finesse making it easy to see why these alumni are still so enthusiastic about returning to campus to once again share in being a part of a new piece of Lehigh history. Never before have a come in contact with such passionate men and women as our alumni, always interested to hear my major, involvements on campus, and own stories about my short time here.

Having this experience makes me look forward to one of those passionate alumni that bleeds brown and white, who returns to campus each time an opportunity arises and still has a passion about the students that are making memories of their own here. The friendships that they made while on campus make me hope that I too will stay so close to all of the amazing friends that I have met over the years, and that I will hopefully make many more with the time I have left.