Experience of a lifetime
7/24/2017 2:45:00 PM | Field Hockey, Women's Lacrosse, Student Athlete, Features
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
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Something that makes Lehigh University truly unique is the opportunities offered to all its students, from seminars to internship programs to study abroad opportunities and everything in between.
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Something that makes Lehigh Athletics unique is the true family atmosphere across the entire department.
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Combine those two, and you get Olivia Kelly and Kaitlyn Quinn of women's lacrosse, and Lauren Dice of field hockey studying overseas through the Lehigh in Belgium program this summer in what was an experience of a lifetime.
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Everything came together from a collective desire to study abroad, which was prevalent across Dice, Kelly and Quinn, who roomed together on the trip.
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"My friend and teammate, Laura Yuh, embarked on the same trip the previous year and from hearing all her amazing stories, I knew I wanted to follow in her footsteps," said Dice. "I then spoke with Liv and Kate about their interests in studying abroad and informed them of my enrollment in the Belgium trip."
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"I have always wanted to study abroad," said Quinn. "With the inability to do so within a semester due to lacrosse, combined with the fact that junior-year summer is so crucial for internships, I knew this summer was the optimal time. It took Liv and I a little while to commit, just out of nerves, but once we found out Lauren was going, it made the decision easier."
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Lehigh in Belgium is taught by a Lehigh professor, Professor Maskulka, but in a foreign setting. Dice, Kelly and Quinn had class Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, taking two global marketing classes while still having time to explore the Leuven, Belgium area. The marketing classes fit in well as Dice, Kelly and Quinn are in the business school in some capacity, with either a major or minor.
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Lehigh in Belgium classes aren't typical classes. Just imagine, learning about a subject where it's occurring (or occurred).
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"Studying abroad allowed me to not only learn interesting material regarding my major, but it also gave me an opportunity to gain a completely new perspective on the information that I was taught due to the fact I was physically surrounded by it," said Dice.
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In addition to the classes, the students went on Wednesday field trips. The group traveled to Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona over the three weekends of the four-week program.
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"For one of the trips, we went to Ypres and saw a lot of cemeteries with World War II veterans and we learned a lot of history about them," said Quinn.
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"We really learned a lot about the Belgium culture," said Kelly. "When we visited all the European Union buildings in Brussels, it was really interesting to learn about how it all works and their different checks and balances."
Â
One trip in particular stands out to Dice.
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"My favorite trip was the day we traveled into Brussels to visit the House of European History," she said. "The museum recently opened in May of 2017, and is home to numerous historical artifacts that depict events which occurred across Europe dating back to 1789. I love history, so it gave me the opportunity to gain a new perspective from the European side of history regarding major events in past decades."
Â
A more important takeaway for Dice, Kelly and Quinn than the tangible items learned in class was the cultural experience of venturing into a foreign place.
Â
"I thoroughly enjoyed being completely submerged into a new culture because I was able to learn a few new words and meet many interesting people with varying perspectives," said Dice.
Â
Being in Belgium meant a language barrier. French, Dutch, and German are three main languages within the country of Belgium, but English is fairly prevalent in the area as well.
Â
"The people primarily spoke either Dutch or French where we were living and studying," said Dice. "Throughout our travels, we didn't find too much trouble with a language barrier. Most Europeans speak fluent English as their second language, which was very helpful when it came to asking for directions or asking for more information about a particular place."
Â
The three student-athletes were finding their way in a foreign place, but having each other by their side helped ease any nerves. Being together also allowed them to stay on top of their conditioning for their upcoming seasons.
Â
"We motivated each other to run," said Kelly. "We actually found a gym that we joined for the month and a turf field, which was so helpful. We really kept up with all our conditioning and made it fit into our schedule while in Leuven. It was great to join a gym for the treadmills and weights, and then utilize the turf field for our sprint workouts."
Â
The month in Belgium led to tremendous personal growth, growth that will prove dividends in their everyday lives and should translate onto the playing field.
Â
"While meeting new people who spoke various languages, I had to practice my communication skills, which I can now put forth into my role as a student in the classroom and a vocal leader on the field," said Dice. "I am extremely grateful for having the opportunity to study in Belgium because thanks to new friendships and experiences, I can now apply what I've learned to my academic and athletic life here at Lehigh. Thanks to my greater understanding of the world, I feel like I can apply many of the lessons learned into my leadership roles moving forward."
Â
Dice, Kelly and Quinn took the advice of past student-athletes by taking part in the Lehigh in Belgium program, and they encourage others to follow in their footsteps.
Â
"I would 100 percent recommend this trip to other Lehigh student-athletes," said Quinn. "It was hands-down the greatest experience of my life, and I am incredibly thankful. I'm so happy to have had Liv and Lauren by my side."
Â
A program such as Lehigh in Belgium isn't possible everywhere, especially for student-athletes. Since student-athletes are unable to study abroad during the regular school year due to their sport commitments, it's easy for them to feel constrained.
Â
"I really think other athletes should take advantage of the different opportunities Lehigh has to offer," said Kelly. "Going abroad was something I always wanted to do, so the fact I was able to fit in a study abroad program while I was still playing lacrosse was incredible."
Â
Student-athletes couldn't ask for much more out of Lehigh in Belgium. It allowed them to experience the best of both worlds.
Â
"The timing of the program works out perfectly with athletes' busy schedules because you leave a few days after final exams and then are in Europe for the first four weeks of summer," said Dice. "This timing is extremely nice for fall athletes especially, because you come home and have the rest of summer to continue training before preseason.
Â
"I would highly recommend this program because it's truly an experience of a lifetime."
Â
Â
Something that makes Lehigh University truly unique is the opportunities offered to all its students, from seminars to internship programs to study abroad opportunities and everything in between.
Â
Something that makes Lehigh Athletics unique is the true family atmosphere across the entire department.
Â
Combine those two, and you get Olivia Kelly and Kaitlyn Quinn of women's lacrosse, and Lauren Dice of field hockey studying overseas through the Lehigh in Belgium program this summer in what was an experience of a lifetime.
Â
Everything came together from a collective desire to study abroad, which was prevalent across Dice, Kelly and Quinn, who roomed together on the trip.
Â
"My friend and teammate, Laura Yuh, embarked on the same trip the previous year and from hearing all her amazing stories, I knew I wanted to follow in her footsteps," said Dice. "I then spoke with Liv and Kate about their interests in studying abroad and informed them of my enrollment in the Belgium trip."
 "I have always wanted to study abroad," said Quinn. "With the inability to do so within a semester due to lacrosse, combined with the fact that junior-year summer is so crucial for internships, I knew this summer was the optimal time. It took Liv and I a little while to commit, just out of nerves, but once we found out Lauren was going, it made the decision easier."
Â
Lehigh in Belgium is taught by a Lehigh professor, Professor Maskulka, but in a foreign setting. Dice, Kelly and Quinn had class Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, taking two global marketing classes while still having time to explore the Leuven, Belgium area. The marketing classes fit in well as Dice, Kelly and Quinn are in the business school in some capacity, with either a major or minor.
Â
Lehigh in Belgium classes aren't typical classes. Just imagine, learning about a subject where it's occurring (or occurred).
Â
"Studying abroad allowed me to not only learn interesting material regarding my major, but it also gave me an opportunity to gain a completely new perspective on the information that I was taught due to the fact I was physically surrounded by it," said Dice.
Â
In addition to the classes, the students went on Wednesday field trips. The group traveled to Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona over the three weekends of the four-week program.
Â
"For one of the trips, we went to Ypres and saw a lot of cemeteries with World War II veterans and we learned a lot of history about them," said Quinn.
Â
"We really learned a lot about the Belgium culture," said Kelly. "When we visited all the European Union buildings in Brussels, it was really interesting to learn about how it all works and their different checks and balances."
Â
One trip in particular stands out to Dice.
Â
"My favorite trip was the day we traveled into Brussels to visit the House of European History," she said. "The museum recently opened in May of 2017, and is home to numerous historical artifacts that depict events which occurred across Europe dating back to 1789. I love history, so it gave me the opportunity to gain a new perspective from the European side of history regarding major events in past decades."
Â
A more important takeaway for Dice, Kelly and Quinn than the tangible items learned in class was the cultural experience of venturing into a foreign place.
Â
"I thoroughly enjoyed being completely submerged into a new culture because I was able to learn a few new words and meet many interesting people with varying perspectives," said Dice.
Â
Being in Belgium meant a language barrier. French, Dutch, and German are three main languages within the country of Belgium, but English is fairly prevalent in the area as well.
Â
"The people primarily spoke either Dutch or French where we were living and studying," said Dice. "Throughout our travels, we didn't find too much trouble with a language barrier. Most Europeans speak fluent English as their second language, which was very helpful when it came to asking for directions or asking for more information about a particular place."
Â
The three student-athletes were finding their way in a foreign place, but having each other by their side helped ease any nerves. Being together also allowed them to stay on top of their conditioning for their upcoming seasons.
 "We motivated each other to run," said Kelly. "We actually found a gym that we joined for the month and a turf field, which was so helpful. We really kept up with all our conditioning and made it fit into our schedule while in Leuven. It was great to join a gym for the treadmills and weights, and then utilize the turf field for our sprint workouts."
Â
The month in Belgium led to tremendous personal growth, growth that will prove dividends in their everyday lives and should translate onto the playing field.
Â
"While meeting new people who spoke various languages, I had to practice my communication skills, which I can now put forth into my role as a student in the classroom and a vocal leader on the field," said Dice. "I am extremely grateful for having the opportunity to study in Belgium because thanks to new friendships and experiences, I can now apply what I've learned to my academic and athletic life here at Lehigh. Thanks to my greater understanding of the world, I feel like I can apply many of the lessons learned into my leadership roles moving forward."
Â
Dice, Kelly and Quinn took the advice of past student-athletes by taking part in the Lehigh in Belgium program, and they encourage others to follow in their footsteps.
Â
"I would 100 percent recommend this trip to other Lehigh student-athletes," said Quinn. "It was hands-down the greatest experience of my life, and I am incredibly thankful. I'm so happy to have had Liv and Lauren by my side."
Â
A program such as Lehigh in Belgium isn't possible everywhere, especially for student-athletes. Since student-athletes are unable to study abroad during the regular school year due to their sport commitments, it's easy for them to feel constrained.
Â
"I really think other athletes should take advantage of the different opportunities Lehigh has to offer," said Kelly. "Going abroad was something I always wanted to do, so the fact I was able to fit in a study abroad program while I was still playing lacrosse was incredible."
Â
Student-athletes couldn't ask for much more out of Lehigh in Belgium. It allowed them to experience the best of both worlds.
Â
"The timing of the program works out perfectly with athletes' busy schedules because you leave a few days after final exams and then are in Europe for the first four weeks of summer," said Dice. "This timing is extremely nice for fall athletes especially, because you come home and have the rest of summer to continue training before preseason.
Â
"I would highly recommend this program because it's truly an experience of a lifetime."
Â
Players Mentioned
F
/ Field Hockey
D
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's Lacrosse
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