Andrew Leahey
For individuals like Andrew Leahey, educational pursuits do not end with a four-year degree. Leahey wanted the opportunity to grow his professional career by earning his master’s degree from Southern Nazarene University in the Exercise Science program.
“By continuing my education through this master’s degree, I wanted to extend my knowledge base of what I already know. Taking what I have learned over the years through experience and my bachelor’s, I wanted to extend my training so that I can continue to improve in developing athletes to be the best they can be. Also, having a master’s does stand out on resumes from a competitive standpoint when seeking new job opportunities,” said Leahey.
Choosing SNU was an easy decision for the coach who is working as the interim head coach of the cross country and track program at OCU.
“SNU was a great choice for me because I am a fulltime working college coach, and my time is very precious. The setup that SNU offers with the one night a week class format made it very doable to achieve that and continue working. It was still very difficult but not impossible,” said Leahey.
The program offers a unique experience for its students and diverse course options that expose the student to various aspects of their selected degree program.
“I enjoyed the willingness to help that the entire SNU exercise science department gave me. They fully understand that not everyone is just full-time students but also working adults. I also enjoyed the diversity of the courses. A lot of these classes really forced me to think differently when approaching a problem which expanded my problem-solving skills when finding a solution towards training,” said Leahey.
Away from coaching, Leahey said he enjoys training with his athletes.
“Being able to hop in their training helps me feel what they are feeling so I can make adjustments if necessary. I also run with my athletes in hopes that someday I can start racing again. Outside of that I try to spend time with my family and friends as much as possible because of how precious that time is. I also love fishing! Probably one of the most therapeutic activities I can do for myself,” said Leahey.
