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UAA kinesiology student and collegiate middle-distance runner exploring the intersection of healthcare, movement, and performance through hands-on experience in chiropractic, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and strength training at Ascent.
Explore Ascent PerformanceAs a kinesiology student and collegiate athlete, Lucia brings firsthand experience with training, competition, injury, and rehabilitation to her internship at Ascent. She is building on that foundation through exposure to chiropractic care, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and performance training as she explores where her interests may take her after graduation.
Lucia’s studies in kinesiology, athletic training, and nutrition have given her a growing understanding of how the body moves, adapts, recovers, and performs. Her internship allows her to connect what she has learned in the classroom with real-world movement and healthcare.
As a collegiate middle-distance runner, Lucia understands the demands of training, competition, and balancing performance with recovery. Her experience gives her a firsthand perspective on the consistency, resilience, and preparation required to pursue athletic goals.
Lucia’s own experiences working through overuse injuries introduced her to rehabilitation from the athlete’s perspective. At Ascent, she is expanding that perspective by observing how physical therapy, chiropractic care, and progressive exercise can contribute to recovery and a confident return to activity.
Lucia is gaining hands-on experience with strength and conditioning, rehabilitation exercise, and performance training. She is particularly interested in how progressive training can help bridge the transition from recovering from an injury to becoming strong, capable, and confident in sport and everyday life.
Lucia Garcia is in her final year studying Kinesiology at the University of Alaska Anchorage, with minors in Athletic Training and Nutrition. She is also a collegiate track & field athlete specializing in middle-distance events. Her experiences as both a student and athlete have shaped a strong interest in human movement, health, rehabilitation, and athletic performance.
Throughout her athletic career, Lucia has navigated overuse injuries and other setbacks that required significant time working with physical therapists and athletic trainers. Experiencing rehabilitation firsthand gave her an appreciation for how frustrating it can be to feel limited by injury—and how meaningful the right guidance and support can be when working toward a return to the activities you love. Those experiences sparked a broader interest in healthcare and in understanding how different professionals help people recover, move better, and return to the things that matter to them.
As Lucia approaches graduation, she is exploring where that interest may take her professionally. Her internship at Ascent Health & Performance gives her the opportunity to experience an integrated approach to healthcare firsthand, with exposure to physical therapy, chiropractic care, rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, and performance training. By learning alongside professionals from different disciplines, she is gaining a better understanding of how each field approaches injury, movement, recovery, and performance—and where she may ultimately see herself within healthcare.
Lucia is especially interested in the space between rehabilitation and performance: how people progress from being injured or limited to rebuilding strength, confidence, and eventually returning to activity or sport. Whether that interest ultimately leads her toward physical therapy, chiropractic, or another healthcare profession, her time at Ascent is helping her explore those possibilities while building practical experience working with active people.
Outside of school and track, Lucia loves spending time outdoors and exploring new places. Backpacking, climbing, rafting, and staying active with friends are some of her favorite ways to experience Alaska and beyond. That active lifestyle reflects what initially drew her toward kinesiology and healthcare: an appreciation for what our bodies allow us to do and an interest in helping others continue doing the activities they love.
