LIKE CHERRY on top of cream, Ryan Dean T. Sucgang, a physical therapy instructor, completed his graduate studies on top of the heap as he received the Best Graduate Thesis award during the 20th recognition rites of the College of Human Kinetics (CHK), University of the Philippines Diliman, April 26 at the CHK gymnasium.

He wrote the paper, \"The healthy lifestyle construct of municipal/city employees in the province of Ilocos Norte,\" for his MS in Human Science Movement. Prof. Gilda L. Uy, immediate past dean of UP CHK, was his adviser.

Sucgang, who started his graduate studies in 2006 and defended his thesis in summer 2008, was also given the Outstanding Student Award after garnering a general weighted average of 1.07. He was on a University Manpower Development Program scholarship.

An alumnus of MMSU where he was a two-term editor-in-chief of Sirmata in college, Sucgang obtained his BS in Physical Therapy in 1999, and joined the university’s teaching force in 2000 shortly after he passed the board exam.

He is currently chief of the physical therapy clinic, chief of extension services of the Department of Physical Therapy, sports coordinator of the College of Health Sciences, and sports and conditioning specialist of the university varsity teams.