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. Sarah Wilhelm ’25, majoring in Integrated Degree in Engineering, Arts and Science (IDEAS), shares their experience.
Hometown: Franklin, NJ
What drew you to Lehigh Launch?: I was drawn to Lehigh Launch because I love being in nature and traveling, so this was the perfect way to combine the two.
What did you like most about Lehigh Launch?: I liked the The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) portion of the program the most because we were fully immersed in nature and seeing new things every day. I had never gone camping or backpacking before so it was an amazing first trip, and the views were gorgeous!
What was the best thing you learned?: The best thing I learned was the ‘leave no trace’ principle during NOLS and how to camp/backpack minimally, leaving as little impact on the environment as we could.
What is a fun fact from the trip?: One fun fact I learned on a field trip was that a lot of fruit trees are in the rose family.
What is something you wish you knew before you packed your bags?: It would’ve been good to know how drastic the temperature changes were from day to night before I packed. Layers are key!