Andrew Steckel ’25 has always been a creator at heart, drawn to technology and innovation. As an Interaction Design major at Lebanon Valley College, he has transformed his passion for digital creativity into a foundation for a dynamic and promising career.

Steckel ultimately chose LVC for its welcoming environment and a major that perfectly matched his interests. A technology enthusiast with a knack for digital creation, he found LVC’s Interaction Design program the perfect avenue to channel his creativity.

“I’ve always been very creative in a techy way. LVC offered me the type of creative major that I wanted at a college that isn’t too big,” he explained. “I knew that to achieve my academic goals, I needed to be at a smaller campus to connect with professors better.”

Throughout his time at LVC, Steckel has built an impressive portfolio of skills, from programming and 3D design to videography and electronics. He has worked on cutting-edge projects, including smart home systems, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and healthcare wearables.

Steckel credits much of his success to the guidance and passion of LVC faculty. “All the professors in my major are amazing people who go out of their way to help their students succeed,” he said. In particular, he highlighted Dr. Jeff Ritchie [Chair], whose enthusiasm for technology and teaching has made a lasting impact. “I feel invested in every class with him because of how much passion he brings to every lecture.”

Steckel’s skills and preparation led him to a coveted internship as a Digital Experience Intern at the Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience (CODE PA). With the help of LVC’s Breen Center for Career and Professional Development, he honed his résumé and cover letter, ultimately securing an opportunity to work on digital user experiences for the Pennsylvania state government. “My work ranged from improving online forms to conducting user research and prototyping redesigns for various online content,” he shared. A key moment in his internship was redesigning the Pennsylvania Trail of the Year Nomination Form, where he was given creative freedom to apply his knowledge and skills independently.

Beyond the classroom and his internship, Steckel has been deeply involved in projects in LVC’s Human Performance Lab. His work has focused on motion capture, photogrammetry, and animation, blending biomechanics with digital design. “The original goal was to use the motion capture system to create lifelike digital avatars with human movements,” he explained. His work has evolved to include artificial intelligence (AI). “While this technology is still in its infancy, we have researched ways to create a motion capture skeleton, which can contain numerous biomechanical data, from a simple video on your phone. This can be done using AI, which we have to make a script using Google AI Developer’s Pose Landmark Detection python code.”

As graduation approaches, Steckel is considering graduate school and industry opportunities. Long-term, he aspires to launch a tech startup. “I’m very confident that with the right resources, I could create a great product useful to many people.”

Steckel is grateful for the unique opportunities he has had at LVC. With his blend of creativity, technical expertise, and entrepreneurial mindset, Steckel is well on his way to shaping the future of Interaction Design—one innovative project at a time.