Ariel Deljanin ‘21 had a very unique application process applying to Lehigh because she was recruited for rowing.
She said applied to Lehigh after having already signed to Lehigh’s rowing team.
Being a first-generation student, however, Deljanin still felt a little lost being that she didn’t have anyone to guide her through her college experience.
She said that she came to Lehigh as a pre-med student because she thought she was going to be a doctor her whole life. She took a year of classes and hated it. She said she ended up dropping every single class she was going to take her sophomore year, went to all different introductory courses, and then picked what she liked from there.
Now majoring in economics and minoring in environmental studies and health medicine and society, Deljananin is much happier with where she is and she’s glad that she made the choice to let herself find out what she actually likes instead of being pre-med just because that’s what she thought she had to do.
Deljanin talked about how first-generation students feel pressure to study something that will allow them to be the “most successful” and “make the most money doing,” when in reality they don’t have to do that and they should study something they actually love.
Deljanin said she can now do well in her classes, and make good connections with teachers now that she has interest in her studies.
Upon graduation, Deljanin said she wants to go into sustainable finance or sustainable fashion.