STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

STUDENT SPECTACLE

Alexa Mocklis ’22 VSB has a unique vision

Just as children remember their favorite childhood toy fondly, junior Alexa Mocklis ’22 VSB remembers her first business with the same affection—a Greek catering business in which she sold appetizers for parties when she was just 10 years old. It wasn’t long before she was organizing bake sales to raise funds for class trips and charities. By high school, this budding entrepreneur opened her first retail store, Sōl Sunwear, which she co-owns with her brother Kosta, a high school senior, in downtown Portsmouth, NH. “I wanted to bring designer, high-end sunglasses, like Tom Ford and Prada, to our area,” Alexa said. Sōl Sunwear, which opened in 2017, operates seasonally from May through October but sells merchandise like hats and sweatshirts year-round online. It differentiates itself by offering a wide variety of sunglasses to fit the many lifestyles of its customers, like Costa del Mar and Maui Jim, which are popular with local fisherman. The shop also prides itself on offering great service with experienced opticians. Both her parents are optometrists, and Alexa received optical training from their office. While her parents initially helped connect her to sunglass reps, Alexa said she really wanted to do this on her own and has. “I’ve been learning how to run a business on the job,” she said. “But it has been the best learning experience I have ever received.” Because she already runs a business, she puts her Villanova education to use immediately. She is thankful her Business Analytics professors, Alicia Strandberg, PhD, associate professor of Management & Operations, and Kathleen Iacocca, PhD, assistant professor of Management & Operations, introduced her to applications like Tableau and showed her the more complex uses of Excel with spreadsheets. Even her non-business classes have shaped who she wants to be as a leader. Her criminology course last semester got her thinking about the criminal justice system. She would like to expand her family’s charity, Eye 2 Eye, which gives eye exams and necessary eyewear to low-income school children, to provide eyecare at local prisons.

“I really like that Villanova doesn’t just teach you how to lead, but they teach you how to do it ethically,” Mocklis said. “I don’t think a lot of schools touch the ethical portion.”

The pandemic posed a new challenge. She was able to weather the past summer with support from her community, a PPP loan, adjusting hours and shortening the season. She increased safety by adding eyeglass sanitizing machines and securing disinfectant products. After graduation, Alexa wants to attend law school to learn about business law. “I’m not sure that sunglasses are my future,” she said. “But I do want to lead a company.” Whatever her path, her future looks bright.

For more information about her store, visit www.solsunwear.com.