The “Lehigh Launch'' series highlights first-semester students' experiences learning about the literature, earth and environment, and peoples of Wyoming and New Mexico in Fall 2021. Emma Moriarty ’25, currently enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences, shares their experience.
Hometown: Shrewsbury, NJ
What drew you to Lehigh Launch?: I was drawn to Lehigh Launch because I wanted to find out more about myself. Self exploration is really important to me as a person, and I thought that being able to learn all of these new subjects in a unique environment would benefit me. Going into this program, I was really lost on what I wanted to pursue in my life and I was in a weird headspace. This trip cleared my head and helped me to learn what was really important, as well as allowed me to gain hands-on experience on what we were learning.
What did you like most about Lehigh Launch?: The portion of Lehigh Launch that I liked the most was The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) trip. This trip allowed time for reflection and I learned so many new things. In the later weeks of the trip, we gained knowledge on the things we had seen and were able to relate what we experienced in NOLS to what we learned in class.
What was the best thing you learned?: The best thing I learned was how to cook meals for my friends. I also learned a lot about myself, as I have already said, including how I can adapt to new environments. Not every adaptation has to be a negative challenge; it can be new and exciting! And now I feel prepared to move to campus!
What is a fun fact from the trip?: I learned on my NOLS course that mountains don't come with porta-potties!
What is something you wish you knew before you packed your bags?: I wish I knew how cold it would be at night when I packed my bags, and that I wouldn’t need my whole closet.