As Charles Darwin said, “It’s not the strongest, but the most adaptable that survive.”

People of all ages have been forced to grasp that very concept over the last seven months with the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it’s a person, team or business, adaptability is integral for success during these uncertain times.

Lehigh women’s lacrosse senior goalie Samantha Sagi did just that over the summer.

“I started by interning at Arnold Packaging, where I was making a self-schedule website for them, trying to implement a routing system for their distribution department [for their deliveries],” she said. “Then, I did research as a supply chain intern at Maryland MEP — which stands for Manufacturing Extension Partnership — for a portal connecting buyers and sellers for COVID equipment.

“I didn’t expect either of those opportunities coming into the summer, but one thing the pandemic can teach you is to expect the unexpected. Do whatever you can to do your best in every situation that’s put in front of you.”

Before Sagi’s summer of adapting, she and her teammates were forced to adapt to the reality of their lacrosse season being canceled in March and classes being held remotely.

“Against Davidson [on March 9], we probably played our best game of the season as a team and were really excited to continue our season. But with it ending, we were all pretty sad,” she said. “I came back home and took around a week to figure out what was going on and how I was thinking about the entire situation. After that, I got right back to work.”

Sagi’s original Arnold Packaging internship fell through because projects were put on hold due to the pandemic. So, she reached out to MEP — a company she had previously been in contact with.

“MEP is partially funded by the government to help Maryland manufacturers try to establish companies, businesses and equipment to be built and used in the state, instead of importing from other states and countries,” Sagi said.

Sagi’s role was directly part of a COVID-19 initiative.

“They’re trying to connect suppliers and manufacturers in-state for all the needed COVID equipment, like swabs and testing kits,” she said. “First, I verified companies were able to provide what they said they could, and at the scale they said they could.”

Sagi helped create a better portal to simplify the process. It was a fitting task for the industrial and systems engineering major and member of Lehigh’s Supply Chain Management Club.

“Supply chain is the overall chain of getting anything from the vendor to the customer … while industrial and systems engineering focuses on the efficiency in the manufacturing part of it,” said Sagi.

The portal is like an online signup.

“You click through it and present yourself as a buyer or manufacturer,” Sagi said. “You select what you need to buy or what you make, and it connects you to companies that match what you’re trying to do.”

Sagi contributed to MEP in several ways, including by seeing what’s been working (and not working) outside of Maryland.

“I researched what other states have been doing,” she said.

At a time amidst the pandemic when it would’ve been easy to become complacent, Sagi has focused on developing and improving herself … something that’s fostered within Lehigh athletics.

“Growing up as an athlete, I’ve always just wanted to improve,” she said. “Luckily at Lehigh, I’ve been able to do that athletically, while also learning how to use that competitive drive in the classroom and real world.

“That drive came from my parents. They were pushing me to find multiple internships because we didn’t know in May if any of these internships were going to land [due to the pandemic]. When one fell through, I had other contacts.”

Those contacts led to not only a worthwhile personal experience, but also an opportunity to make a difference in the fight against COVID-19, which has certainly had a trickle-down effect on many people, including businesses.

“It’s an honor to be involved in the COVID-19 rebuilding plan and make a little bit of a difference, while learning and obtaining some real-world experience for the future,” Sagi said.

Sagi’s future is bright. She doesn’t know her exact path at the moment, but that could be a good thing.

With so many interests and potential options, Sagi doesn’t want to close the door on anything just yet.

“I feel like I’m not creative enough to solve a problem by creating a new product for the world,” Sagi said. “But I can make a product better. I could see myself in a big factory, watching all these processes and finding ways to make them faster and more efficient, which makes the product cost less.

“Then on the business side, I love people and love talking to people. My dad has been in sales his entire life. I enjoy artificial intelligence, so maybe I could get into some fields that way.”

Sagi is self-aware enough to know her strengths and weaknesses, not trying to do too much. That translates to the lacrosse field as well.

“I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel on the field,” she said. “I’m the goalie, and I’m trying to get really good at the important skills.”

The adaptability Sagi has learned and shown over the summer is needed from the entire team in 2020-21, as it navigates an uncertain and unpredictable time due to the pandemic.

“For everything in life, you hope for the best, but prepare for the worst,” she said.

Sagi isn’t just saying those words.

She’s living it.