Cecily Ritchie Makes Mark as a Campus Leader

Cecily Ritchie ’23 stands out as a student leader in university organizations at Lehigh—an attribute that has led her to choose a career in higher education focusing on student development.

Her extracurricular involvement earned her two Student Life Leadership Awards for her contributions to campus life this year—the James J. Duane III Student Life Leadership Award and the Student Senate Leadership Award.

A native of West Norriton, Pennsylvania, Ritchie majored in health, medicine & society and environmental studies and completed a minor in marketing. Among her most memorable courses were Health and Environmental Controversies, and Health Care Reasoning and Decision-Making.

She is part of a family tradition at Lehigh she shares with older brother Quinton ’22 and younger brother Teg ’25. “I loved being able to see my brothers on campus,” she says.

Since fall 2021, Ritchie has been a Gryphon, one of the student resident assistants who facilitate residence hall living. She was recognized in March with the Helping Hand award as Gryphon of the Month. “It is probably what made me realize that higher education is my career,” Ritchie says.

Ritchie has brought energy and organization to two groups planning campus events—Lehigh After Dark and University Productions. As a marketing director for University Productions, the student group that produces campus events, Ritchie uses social media and creates promotional materials, from t-shirts to flyers, to publicize activities.

Already embracing the sentiment of being “Lehigh for Life,” Ritchie is a member of the executive board as the marketing director of the Association of Student Alumni. The association works to build an affinity for Lehigh that will last after students graduate, often involving current students in Lehigh traditions. For the past two years, Ritchie has been a visible part of one of those traditions, serving as emcee of The Rally, when the incoming class is adopted by the class that entered 50 years earlier.

“It’s really cool to be able to say I’ve spoken in front of all the classes that are younger than me. I’ve loved public speaking for so long and to be able to have that connection is just so unique,” she says.