Meet Your Leaders!

Alexa Baker

Student Coordinator

Hey VEers! My name is Alexa and I'm a junior civil engineer from Bridgeport, WV. As a freshman I participated in Volunteers of America and loved it so much that I went back the past two years as a leader! Now as the student coordinator for VE I am excited to meet the newest volunteers and further develop great relationships with my leaders. On campus I am the green chair for my sorority and am very involved in Engineers Without Borders. If you love community service as much as I do then you will love VE! Not only will you develop lasting friendships through this program but you will also make a significant impact on the community in just a few days! Enjoy the rest of your summer and I hope your looking forward to VE as much as I am!

Olivia Fitzmaurice-Shean

Hey everyone! My name is Olivia, and I'm a rising junior from Haddonfield, New Jersey right outside of Philadelphia. I'm in the college of Arts & Sciences majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience and minoring in Health, Medicine, & Society. I'm a student adviser in the Community Service Office and take part in many events on and off campus through my sorority and Leadership Lehigh. I'm also a founding member of the FACE AIDS chapter and the Youth Medical Corps at Lehigh. I participated in VE my freshman year at Volunteers of America, and was a leader for South Side Serve last year. I met so many wonderful friends through VE and I'm sure you'll have an awesome time as well! I look forward to meeting all of you in August!

Matt Chu

Hey everyone! My name is Matt and I'll be senior Bioengineer with a minor in Health, Medicine and Society. I'm from Upstate New York, specifically Rochester, NY way up between Buffalo and Syracuse where it seems like you can experience every season of the year within a week. As a freshman on Volunteer Experience, I went to Jacobsburg. At first I wasn't sure if I was going to do VE, but now that I look back I will never regret my decision. I've been on countless service trips both near and far like VE and have met some of the greatest people along the way who are now some of my closest friends. I've been involved with Live.Learn.Serve., a special service oriented dorm, and work at the Community Service Office. VE is a great way to get a head start on transitioning into college life because you'll already have great friends and will be moved in (you get to choose which side of the room you want and avoid getting stuck with the squeaky chair!) and won't have to deal with the stress and clutter when everyone else does. Enjoy your summer and we'll see you soon!

Karen Haberland

Hello!! My name is Karen, and I'm a rising junior originally from Gloucester County, NJ. I'm a Mechanical Engineering major, but I'm also taking Bio and Bioengineering classes in the hopes of someday working with prosthetics and therapy devices. VE was my very first experience at Lehigh, and I've never regretted it. I was so nervous to leave home, but I felt accepted the second I got my nametag at prelusion sign-in. Volunteering at Jacobsburg was so much fun, and I met people who are now some of my best friends. This experience, combined with my choice to live in the Live.Learn.Serve community and work at the Community Service Office has really helped me find my niche and a home-away-from-home. I can't think of a better way to kick off college than by spending three days having fun and meeting some awesome new people. Plus, you'll beat the move-in crowd and know your way around campus before anyone else! I can't wait to meet all of you, and welcome to Lehigh!

CJ Sevilla

Hey all! My name's CJ Sevilla, and I'm a Junior in the IDEAS program. I'm from central New Jersey, but I quickly found a home away from home at Lehigh. Here, I am a student coordinator in the Community Service Office, I sing in the University Choir, I participate in Greek Life, and I'm the music director of the acappella group "A Whole Step Up". As a freshman, I did not get the opportunity to participate in VE, but I so thoroughly enjoyed my experiences volunteering through Lehigh that I signed up to be a VE leader last summer. There, I got to hike through the beautiful Jacobsburg park, learn about history and our environment, dig a vernal pool (and learn what a vernal pool is!) and help clear and mulch a butterfly garden. I'm really psyched for my second year of VE. Hope to see you there!

Neha Rachumallu

Hi everyone! My name is Neha and I'm from Princeton, New Jersey. I'm a rising sophomore and I'm thinking about majoring in Accounting. I did Volunteer Experience last year and I absolutely loved it! It was so much fun and I met some awesome people who I am still friends with. By doing VE, you will be able to move in earlier than the rest of the freshman, and your transition into college will be much easier. On campus, I am in involved in Leadership Lehigh, an honors fraternity, and Colleges Against Cancer. I can't wait to meet all of you! Get excited!

Kristen Goodman

Hi everyone! I'm Kristen Goodman, and I'm a rising sophomore. I am SO excited that you chose to do VE! You're going to have an amazing time. When I did this program as a freshman, I worked with kids and found it to be such a rewarding experience in so many ways. The kids are adorable and will love you from the second they see you. I also met some of the nicest kids on this trip that I'm still close with. Right now, I'm in the business school and plan on double majoring in marketing and finance, with a minor in communications. We'll see how all of that works out though! I am so so happy here at Lehigh. Even when I'm back in Boston, I still refer to Lehigh as 'home'. I hope that you fall in love with the school like I have. You're definitely starting off your college experience in a great way by doing VE. I can't wait to meet you all, and see you soon!