Raised in the U.K., Lottie Summers ’25 M.S. has played women’s field hockey since she was a child, and her love of the game was a major factor in her decision to spend this academic year at Syracuse University, challenging herself to play Division I women’s field hockey while also earning a master’s degree in supply chain management at the Whitman School.

Summers earned an undergraduate degree in marketing and management from Loughborough University in the U.K. and spent a fifth year completing a year’s placement at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). She was thrilled to be offered such a prestigious placement working in the global health and strategy unit, where she gained hands-on experience surrounding strategy, supply chain operations, and working on drug donation programs and operational planning for global health crises, such as the war in Ukraine. Summers also engaged in cross-functional collaboration and was a key member in the GSK and Save the Children Partnership. She was also involved in the GSK Climate Fund, exploring GlaxoSmithKline’s efforts to mitigate and forecast the future impact of climate change on global health.

While she was intrigued by the work, Summers realized she needed more formal education in supply chain management to steer her career into supply chain consulting or net zero management.

During those five years, Summers was also on women’s field hockey teams for her university, U.K.’s Great Britain Elite Development Program and the U.K.’s Premier League for the Beeston Hockey Club, which won the England Hockey Women’s Championship Cup three years in a row.

Wanting to continue to play field hockey while earning her master’s degree, Summers earned a field hockey scholarship to Syracuse University. When she learned that the team was interested and the Whitman School had a dedicated supply chain management degree that aligned with her career goals, she packed her bags and headed for Central New York.

Summers had never been to the United States before arriving in Syracuse, but her field hockey teammates and coaching staff became her instant family with many of them greeting her at the airport when she got off the plane. “We quickly became a family who took care of each other,” she says of the team.

Due to her strong work ethic and competitive nature, she juggled the fall 2024 season like a champ. The team trained two to three hours a day and did “lift” (gym workouts) two to three times a week, as well. Once games began, she was traveling all over the country, sometimes for days, which meant she had to become a proficient multitasker to ensure she was giving 100% to both studies and sports.

“Luckily, I really thrive under pressure,” she says. “I was here to make both work, so I did.”

Summers is grateful for the support of the Whitman supply chain management faculty, particularly Associate Professor Rong Li, Professor of Practice Gary La Point, Professor of Practice Patrick Penfield and Professor Zhengping Wu, for holding her to a high standard while also being flexible and understanding the demands of playing a Division I sport.

She also gives a shout out to her team’s support system, including Head Coach Lynn Farquhar, Assistant Coach Sam Brown, Assistant Coach Emma Russell ’16, and “Media John,” aka John Stark, assistant director of athletic communications, who invited her and a teammate to join a Tuesday morning running club to help her get to know other people through another sport she loved. (Summers completed the London Marathon in 2023, and just recently finished the 2025 Syracuse Half Marathon.)

According to Syracuse Athletics, Summers “started as back in all 20 games this season and anchored a defense that surrendered just 1.25 goals per game with seven shut outs,” as the team ended the season 13-7. She also was one of 14 student-athletes in women’s field hockey to be selected for all-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic team honors, which required a 3.4 GPA in fall 2024 and an overall GPA of at least 3.0.

While field hockey ended last semester, her master’s degree courses in supply chain management will wrap up in May. She is looking ahead to a future she hopes will include both supply chain and field hockey. Currently, Summers is interviewing for jobs in her field in London. Equally, she would love to work in New York City. And, she also hopes to continue to play field hockey, possibly back in the Premier League, if she can accommodate it around her work schedule.

“This past year has been both rewarding and challenging, but I’m really proud,” she says. “Who would have thought I would be the one in my family to obtain a master’s degree? Being at Syracuse and the Whitman School has taught me many lessons and brought me lifelong friends and experiences I never expected—as well as a winning field hockey season. I don’t think I could have asked for a better outcome.”

By Caroline K. Reff