Katie Lewis-LaMonica ’08
On the lacrosse field, Katie Lewis-LaMonica ’08 was used to being the go-to girl. The midfielder from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, was the 2005 Ivy League Rookie of the Year and was named to the 2006-07 24-member U.S. national “Elite” team. She will also have the opportunity to compete for a spot on the 2009 World Cup Team.
It’s no surprise that she could handle pressure off the field as well. In the summer of 2006, Lewis-LaMonica went to Peru with the Princeton chapter of Engineers Without Borders to design and build a solar-energy system for a rural community. As a Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs major with a focus on education and child development, she left the engineering to others and concentrated instead on teaching community members how to use and maintain the system.
According to Lewis-LaMonica, she couldn’t have done it without everything she’s learned at Princeton, both in the classroom and on the playing field. “We gain not only academic knowledge and problem-solving skills from our classes, but also a more practical brand of knowledge from extracurriculars — an understanding of group dynamics and the communication skills necessary for successful collaboration with others. Lacrosse in particular has helped me develop these more practical skills,” she says.
It seems like every facet of her experience at Princeton overflowed into the next. For example, in her classes at the Woodrow Wilson School, she was drawn to issues of race and access to educational opportunities. Outside of class, she has volunteered once a week with the Princeton Justice Project, teaching English to Hispanic immigrants.
For a more personal, interactive encounter with race issues, Lewis-LaMonica participated in Princeton’s Sustained Dialogue program, where small groups of students from all racial and ethnic backgrounds met over meals to candidly discuss delicate issues that might otherwise seem unmentionable. “It creates a safe environment to talk about stereotypes and discrimination,” she says.
In addition, Lewis-LaMonica was a youth mentor in the Trenton Bridge Lacrosse Program and an Outdoor Action trip leader. Her efforts earned her several honors at the end of her college career: the Allen Macy Dulles '51 Award, presented to a senior whose activities while at Princeton best represent or exemplify the University's informal motto, "Princeton in the nation's service and in the service of all nations," and the Arthur Lane '34 Award, given to honor selfless contribution to sport and society by an undergraduate athlete.
It’s no surprise that she could handle pressure off the field as well. In the summer of 2006, Lewis-LaMonica went to Peru with the Princeton chapter of Engineers Without Borders to design and build a solar-energy system for a rural community. As a Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs major with a focus on education and child development, she left the engineering to others and concentrated instead on teaching community members how to use and maintain the system.
According to Lewis-LaMonica, she couldn’t have done it without everything she’s learned at Princeton, both in the classroom and on the playing field. “We gain not only academic knowledge and problem-solving skills from our classes, but also a more practical brand of knowledge from extracurriculars — an understanding of group dynamics and the communication skills necessary for successful collaboration with others. Lacrosse in particular has helped me develop these more practical skills,” she says.
It seems like every facet of her experience at Princeton overflowed into the next. For example, in her classes at the Woodrow Wilson School, she was drawn to issues of race and access to educational opportunities. Outside of class, she has volunteered once a week with the Princeton Justice Project, teaching English to Hispanic immigrants.
For a more personal, interactive encounter with race issues, Lewis-LaMonica participated in Princeton’s Sustained Dialogue program, where small groups of students from all racial and ethnic backgrounds met over meals to candidly discuss delicate issues that might otherwise seem unmentionable. “It creates a safe environment to talk about stereotypes and discrimination,” she says.
In addition, Lewis-LaMonica was a youth mentor in the Trenton Bridge Lacrosse Program and an Outdoor Action trip leader. Her efforts earned her several honors at the end of her college career: the Allen Macy Dulles '51 Award, presented to a senior whose activities while at Princeton best represent or exemplify the University's informal motto, "Princeton in the nation's service and in the service of all nations," and the Arthur Lane '34 Award, given to honor selfless contribution to sport and society by an undergraduate athlete.