For Victoria Drzymala, Politics Isn't a Spectator Sport

While some of her fellow political science students might be fixated on the scrum of national politics, Victoria Drzymala '23 learned early on what the longtime U.S. House Speaker Tip O'Neill knew—all politics is local. For Drzymala, governing isn't something you watch, it's something you do.

As president of the Student Senate, a Marcon Institute Fellow and the daughter of immigrants, Drzymala was uniquely qualified to spearhead the creation of a six-week internship for Lehigh students from diverse backgrounds to work with Bethlehem City government.

"I worked last summer to design an internship program for students from underrepresented backgrounds or traditionally marginalized communities to learn from elected government officials and people who work in the sphere of government and politics," Drzymala said. She contacted the office of Mayor J. William Reynolds and Janine Carambot Santoro, Bethlehem's director of equity and inclusion, and found them enthusiastic about the idea. Lya Ali, a first-year student, interned with the city this spring.

"It's great for her to have those connections," Drzymala said. "She was able to make an impact and learned a lot from her time at City Hall."

Drzymala already had experience in setting up internships: her own. She grew up in Garfield, N.J., the oldest of three children born to a mother who immigrated from El Salvador and a father from Poland. With that Polish connection, she volunteered with Garfield's Pulaski Parade Committee where she met Lehigh alum Thomas J. Duch ’78, who was city manager. He encouraged her interest in government and politics and mentored her when she landed an internship at Garfield City Hall.

"He went out of his way to connect me with people he thought could help me with my future, and I'm so grateful," she said.

Duch, who is now the administrator for Bergen County, N.J., urged Drzymala to consider applying to Lehigh.

"It was the first college I visited, and I fell in love with Lehigh immediately," she said. "The campus was just so inviting."

Upon acceptance, she had no doubt she was Lehigh bound. When the pandemic hit in the spring of her first year, classes went remote. But Drzymala would be on campus the rest of her college career after she became a Gryphon and was selected head Gryphon for her junior and senior years.