Role players are unsung heroes, creating the foundation for team success.
Rising senior Jackson Monnin has experienced the importance of embracing one's role on a team. Both on the lacrosse field and as a Summer Investment Banking Analyst at Citi, Monnin is a great teammate.
"Playing lacrosse at Lehigh, you definitely understand everyone has a different role within the team," said Monnin. "Here at Citi, it's the same thing. Your role could change two times over the course of a week. You have to be able to adapt and be able to work with the person who sits to your left and to your right, which playing lacrosse has prepared me for."
Growing up in North Carolina, Monnin didn't know much about Lehigh, but lacrosse gave him an opportunity to become a student-athlete at a prestigious university.
"Coach (Kevin) Cassese recruited me and honestly, the decision to come to Lehigh really centered around him," said Monnin. "He's an unbelievable mentor, unbelievable coach and fantastic role model. So, when it came down to making a decision, the ability to play Division I lacrosse at a leading academic school and the ability to play for Coach Cassese was really the icing on the cake and made it a no brainer. I've loved every second."
Monnin was admitted into Lehigh's challenging Integrated Business and Engineering (IBE) honors program.
"Coming from Charlotte, I didn't know a ton about Lehigh, but I knew the mascot used to be an engineer," said Monnin. "My dad said if I go to Lehigh, I should study engineering. Then when I got into the IBE program, it was the best of both worlds. Lehigh does an unbelievable job of integrating the two subjects. They have a manageable curriculum every semester. It may be demanding, but it's definitely doable."
Within the IBE program, Monnin eventually declared financial engineering as his major, which is a combination of finance and industrial engineering. It would give him a diverse background that would lead to many career options.
Monnin the lacrosse player is helping Monnin the summer analyst and on the flip side, his summer at Citi will invariably help him in many areas moving forward.
"Jackson always brings outstanding energy to the locker room, to practice and to any team event we have," said Coach Cassese. "He takes great pride in helping those around him become better and in the process, helping himself become better as well. Jackson is also one of our top performers in the classroom. He has always been extremely focused in that area and has set a high example for his teammates to follow towards academic and professional success."
Read the full story at the Lehigh University News Center.
-Justin Lafleur is a Senior Assistant Director with Lehigh Sports Communications.
