Alumni Spotlights

When Peter Kennedy ’22 mistakenly walked into the wrong college representative session as a high school student, he had no idea the error would steer him toward Lehigh—and eventually into the orbit of another Lehigh alum who would help shape his career. Nearly twenty-five years earlier, Travis LaBerge ’98 arrived at Lehigh with plans to become an engineer but left with a newfound devotion to music. Their individual stories began far apart, yet their paths converged in Boulder, Colorado, through the steady influence of a beloved professor and a shared belief in the transformative power of the arts.

When Dr. Andrey Stolyarov ’12 reflects on his path from a young immigrant in Brooklyn to an American conductor, composer, educator, and singer, he traces its beginnings to family and music.

Long before her music reached international audiences, Heather Gilligan ’96 was already showcasing her talents in Germansville, Pennsylvania, about a half hour from Lehigh. From the age of five, she studied piano and performed in school choruses and musicals. The daughter of two teachers—including her father, Thomas Gilligan III ’68—she also excelled in athletics, winning a state championship in field hockey. Growing up attending Lehigh–Lafayette football games, the university felt familiar from the start.