2021 Stabler Donor Impact Report R4

STABLER SCHOLAR ALUMNA Name: Devon Gallagher ’17 Degree: BS, Environmental Engineering Title: Safety Engineer Company: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) City: Warminster, PA Who inspired you or supported you at Lehigh? I cannot thank Lehigh enough for the lifelong friends I made there. I am forever grateful to have several extremely close, genuine, deep relationships with classmates, club mates, sorority mates, and orientation mates from Lehigh. I’ve always tended to be a relatively bright light, but there were a few years at Lehigh where my light was not shining. I found people at Lehigh who were willing to share their light to help make sure I was able to navigate through the darkness. These people, now lifelong friends, are ultimately who made my Lehigh experience what it was. My relationships and experiences with people at Lehigh helped me realize a core value about who I am as a person: I am not a collector of things or materials, but rather relationships and experiences with individuals that I care about. I’m not sure I would have learned this core value without the opportunities and outlets Lehigh offered to me. How did Lehigh prepare you for your professional career and/or goals upon graduation? Lehigh always had a “work hard, play hard” attitude. Make sure you study, get your work done, and deliver high quality results, but don’t forget that life is about living, being yourself, and enjoying the ride. I’ve transitioned this mindset into my professional life by delivering high quality results while maintaining who I am as a human. People at work know I will deliver well on my objectives, but they also know I’m a goofy amputee who enjoys bad TV and a beer on the weekends. Lehigh taught me that being yourself and building a successful career are not mutually exclusive. It is possible, and encouraged, to do both simultaneously. What advice would you give to current or future Stabler students? I would tell students to take advantage of every opportunity Lehigh has to offer that even remotely piques your interest. Don’t leave Lehigh feeling as though you didn’t take advantage of the years you were there. Don’t like a club after you joined? No problem, at least you tried. No one will fault you for trying something new. (continued)