When Iva Stejskalova left her home in the Czech Republic to attend the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she was pursuing two dreams: competing at a high level in collegiate tennis and earning a degree that would prepare her for a career in sports.
Six years later, she has accomplished both.
This spring, Stejskalova completed her Master of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning from the UW-Milwaukee Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health. Looking back, she says choosing UWM was one of the best decisions she ever made.
“I came to UWM in 2020 for my bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology,” Stejskalova said. “I was recruited to join the women’s tennis team, and when I was deciding where to go, UWM really stood out as the best of both worlds academically and athletically.”
Originally from the Czech Republic, Stejskalova quickly made her mark both in the classroom and on the court. She graduated with honors, earned an athletic scholarship throughout her undergraduate career, received Tennis Academic All-District Honors, and was recognized with the Faculty Athletics Representative Award.
But when graduation approached, she wasn’t ready to leave Milwaukee.
Around the same time, UWM launched its new master’s degree concentration in Strength and Conditioning. The opportunity aligned perfectly with her interests and future goals.
“It wasn’t even a question for me,” she said. “I applied right away. I had the best four years studying and representing UWM, and I wasn’t ready to leave this place just yet.”
Stejskalova was admitted to the program and awarded a teaching assistantship, giving her the opportunity to further develop her leadership and professional skills while completing her graduate studies.
Although she knew she wanted a career in sports, her exact path wasn’t clear when she began graduate school.
“I always wanted to stay involved in athletics and find a way to bridge strength and conditioning with athletic training and sports medicine,” she said. “During my master’s program, I really found myself in sport science and became very passionate about it.”
That discovery helped shape her career aspirations.
“I feel like sport science is exactly what I wanted to do before I even knew it existed,” she said.
The program’s combination of advanced coursework, applied experiences, and mentorship helped her grow not only as a professional but also as a person.
“I’ve really enjoyed the master’s program here,” she said. “I’ve learned so much and changed a lot as both a person and a professional.”
For Stejskalova, one of the most meaningful aspects of her UWM experience has been the support she received along the way.
“I always felt a huge amount of support from both the academic staff and the athletic staff during my journey so far away from home,” she said.
Now, as she prepares for the next chapter of her career in sport science, she has no doubts about the path she chose.
“If I was deciding now,” she said, “I would definitely choose UWM again.”
As for what is next, Stejskalova recently accepted a position as a Sport Science Fellow for the University of Pittsburgh, working primarily with men’s and women’s soccer.