For Melinda Westfall, a Ph.D. student in psychology, 2024 was her third summer in a row as a Mountaintop Fellow. She has used the Mountaintop program to deeply dive into a project tied to her Ph.D. research, exploring the origins and transmissions of white nationalist beliefs in adolescence. Westfall considers the Mountaintop program an unparalleled opportunity to delve deeper into her research interests and also develop leadership skills that she will utilize throughout her future studies and career.
“It’s always a challenge for me to find a summer opportunity that aligns with my academic interests at Lehigh and in the surrounding area,” she says. “I feel incredibly fortunate to participate in Mountaintop, where I can continue my research and stay on campus.”
Westfall also sees the program as a building block in her professional development and future career pathway.
“Over the years, I've grown more confident in sharing my opinions and experiences with the undergraduate students on my team. This role is distinct from being a TA, RA, or GA. I take the lead on projects and have learned immensely, which will undoubtedly benefit my future career and academic pursuits” she says.
Nianguang Zhao, a Master's student in financial engineering, says that summer research opportunities are limited for international students due to visa restrictions. Thus, he highly appreciates that Mountaintop offers him a platform not only to work on an innovative project—PA 100 Index, where the team manages an equity index offering investors and financial professionals a comprehensive view of Pennsylvania's economic trends and the overall health of its publicly traded companies—but also to collaborate and exchange insights with other Mountaintop projects.
“I feel lucky to have the opportunity to join the Mountaintop program. I can work on a project I am interested in,” says Zhao. “Additionally, by working with the undergraduate students majoring in computer science on our team, I have experienced the benefits of interdisciplinary research and learned many coding skills and other professional abilities.”
Zhao adds that by exposure to various other projects, he has a clearer idea of what his future Masters’ degree capstone project could be.
In addition to the opportunities Mountaintop offers to graduate students who were Fellows on specific project teams, three graduate students were hired in 2024 as “Mountaintop Guides,” taking on a vital role within the program’s administrative and pedagogical structure. Their responsibilities included providing logistical support, mentoring small project teams, and fostering an environment that promotes progress, accountability, and creativity among the students.
