Coming to Lehigh as a community and global health major on the pre-med track, Sameen Mariaca ’26 had a goal of attending medical school to become a physician.
When she received her acceptance to the University of Kansas School of Medicine, her top choice, one of the first people she called wasn’t a family member, but a friend she met over coffee during her sophomore year. This friend invited her to study in her apartment when school anxiety became too heavy, and read multiple personal statements for medical school applications until the words got blurry.
Anya Getzfeld ’24 remembers that when she met Mariaca, “we just hit it off. I think I knew how close we were going to become.”
“We even realized we lived in the same room our first year at Lehigh in Stevens Hall, Lower Centennial,” Mariaca said.
The pair met through Kappa Alpha Theta, but their friendship expanded from sorority life in the blink of an eye. Getzfeld was a biology major, who, originally on the pre-med track, switched to the pre-PA (physician assistant) track. Since Mariaca and Getzfeld had pre-med classes in common, the two quickly learned that Mariaca would be following in similar footsteps to Getzfeld, taking some of the same courses and navigating high difficulty classwork.
Getzfeld helped support Mariaca by sharing tips for understanding the material in different courses, what classes to take each semester for a balanced course load, and how to gain lab experience.
“Science classes like physics and organic chemistry were tough classes for me and I got through it with Anya by my side saying, ‘You’re going to make it through and you’re going to figure it out,’” Mariaca said.
They learned from each other, and with each other, how to fail, how to get back up and how to stay friends through physical distance and different life stages.
“We were able to admit, ‘You know what, I’m having a really hard time,’” Mariaca added. “When it seems like no one else is struggling it means the world to know you’re not the only one.”
When Getzfeld graduated a year after the two met, Mariaca said the two learned to “show up differently” and put mutual effort into their friendship. As Getzfeld was reaching her own academic milestones after Lehigh of completing a post-baccalaureate program and accepting a position as a Medical Assistant at Advocare Stoll Medical Group, they were on different paths for the first time.
“Sameen has to tell me sometimes to enjoy life,” Getzfeld said. “It’s silly to say she keeps me young because we’re so close in age, but even with this [small] age gap we’re in two completely different stages of life.”
Still, both agree their lives seem to align when it matters most. As Getzfeld applied to PA school and Mariaca applied to medical school, they once again found themselves editing essays, contacting professors and leaning on each other through the uncertainty of waiting for decisions.
That support paid off for both of them. Mariaca received her acceptance to the University of Kansas School of Medicine, while Getzfeld accepted an offer from Lock Haven’s physician assistant program beginning next month.
“We couldn’t have done it without the other,” Getzfeld said. “I’ve seen how Sameen has evolved over the past two years and it’s great to witness that change in each other. I’m so proud of how far she’s come.”
“We’ve both been worried, discouraged, stressed and made it out the other side. It’s a special feeling to have someone in your life who knows what you need before you even say it,” Mariaca said.
Even with the move to Lock Haven happening at the same time as Commencement, Getzfeld never considered missing Mariaca’s graduation. Looking back, both say their friendship remains one of the most meaningful parts of their Lehigh experience. A shared journey navigating challenging classes, uncertainty and the effects both can have on mental health, gave way to a lasting friendship that can endure each chapter ahead.
