I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO ACHIEVE.
I TAKE INITIATIVE.
I AM FOCUSED ON ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN STYLE.

THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO MAKE CHANGES FASHIONABLY.

ALYSSA LEHMAN – Panther Swimming
School of Family and Consumer Sciences
3.43 GPA

Alyssa Lehman is a captain of the Panthers' women's swimming team, but when she is away from the pool her activities have an entirely different tone. Instead of donning swimsuits and caps, she is learning to sew in class. Instead of working on her stroke specialty, backstroke, she is designing clothes for her team.

Lehman is preparing for her life after swimming by working on her degree in fashion merchandising with a business minor.

“She was always playing dress up when she was younger and looking at clothing magazines,” her mother Jeanine said. “She was always had a passion for fashion.”

Alyssa is a self proclaimed fashionite who said she always loves to dress up and look stylish. She may have been swimming competitively for the past eight years, but she was groomed for a different calling since she was born.

“My mother always made sure I had cute outfits to wear,” Lehman said. “If you look at my pictures from when I was little I was always in something stylish. That is something that has been important to me.”

When Lehman arrived at Eastern Illinois, she had no idea what she wanted to major in. She thought about becoming a teacher, but changed her mind during her sophomore year of college. She learned from friends about Eastern's fashion merchandising program and after a few classes, she was hooked.

“Once I started the program, I loved it and knew that was what I wanted to do,” Lehman said.

Classes for the program are unlike most of the programs at EIU. Instead of textbooks, she uses needles. Instead of paper, she is working with textiles. All of this so she can work in the fashion industry when she graduates.

“I have a sewing class and it was challenging at first,” Lehman said. “The class goes for five hours, but now I love it. It feels like it flies by in one hour.”

In addition to working hands on, she said she enjoys learning about the business side of the industry. Lehman has learned it is always important to keep up with major trends and stay motivated on what you want to do. Through Eastern, she learned how to market her products and the ins and outs of the industry.

Her dream is to be a buyer and seller of retail fashion, but hopes someday to design her own clothes and run a clothing line. That is something her leadership role with the swimming team will help her accomplish.

“I try to set a good example and set positive goals for my teammates,” she said. “I am opinionated about how I think things should go, but I also listen to those that are around me. I want to know how everyone feels before I make a decision.”

Lehman describes her sense of style as classic or glamorous, but it did not stop her from helping with the swimming team's t-shirts and sweatpants.

She took the initiative early this year working with a local screen printing business to help design clothes for her team.

“I came up with the designs and drew them out,” Lehman said. “I showed them to my teammates and they all liked them.”

Lehman's mother has no doubt that her daughter will be successful in the field that she has chosen.

“She is peopled oriented, but also strong willed and outgoing,” Jeanine Lehman said. “She works well with people and, with the support of the EIU staff, I know she will be successful.”