For as long as Alexandra Sukley can remember, sports and exercise have played a role in her life. She was just 18 months old when her athletic journey began.

“My parents enrolled me in gymnastics, and I advanced to the competitive team where I participated until I was 14 years old,” she said.

During high school, Sukley joined the track & field team as a sprinter and pole vaulter. She also competed on the competitive cheer team.

When it came time to choose a career, Sukley gravitated toward the kinesiology program at Penn State. At Penn State, she completed internships at the University Fitness Center of the Penn State Hershey Medical Center and the Hetrick Center, a physical therapy clinic.

Sukley, who is a physical therapy aide, knew that a graduate program was the next step in her professional development but was unsure of the route to get there—trying to decide between physical therapy and exercise physiology. Then she saw a news story about LVC’s new Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology Program.

“Most of my coworkers completed their degrees at LVC, and I had heard about their great reputation,” said Sukley. “My ultimate goal is to assist others in some way.”

Sukley is part of LVC’s inaugural cohort for the master’s program that began during the Fall 2020 semester. She will finish her classes this summer and then embark on an internship to complete her degree.

“Although we haven’t been able to come to campus physically, I feel as though I’m learning as if I were on campus,” she said. “The support from my professors and classmates is incomparable. They all offer their free time to do Zoom calls and answer emails as soon as possible, to answer any questions I may have. They also make sure my answers are completely resolved so I can complete assignments to the best of my ability.”

– Josh Hildebrand, Marketing & Communications Student Assistant