Program: Master of Physical Therapy
Class of 2018
Hometown: Richmond Hill, Ontario
What attracted you to your field of study or research?
Sports and health are my passions. As a competitive gymnast, I enjoy the freedom of movement every day, and marvel at our ability to push the boundaries of the human body. Furthermore, as a gymnast, I have had to fight back from injuries, often with the dedicated help of an amazing team of physiotherapists. Thus, I want to be a physiotherapist so I can help people lead active and pain-free lives.
What excites you about the upcoming year?
I am excited to move to Vancouver! I am looking forward to living in such a bike friendly city, and excited about the proximity of UBC to amazing places to mountain bike, ski and rock climb, such as Squamish and Whistler!
What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
For someone who can do ridiculously complicated aerial tricks in the gym, I can also be incredibly uncoordinated. For example, I am capable of tripping both up and down stairs.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
For the next four years, I will be training for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in the sport of trampoline gymnastics, and then retiring after 2020, and travelling (or working abroad) for the following year.
Best piece of advice: From my teammate, and recent record-breaking Olympic Gold medallist, Rosie Maclennan!!
On managing stress and competing well: “Enter a competition thinking not what you have to lose, but what you can gain. Don’t focus on wanting results to justify the work you put in. Instead, focus on loving the experience. Focus on how lucky you are to have the opportunity to travel to amazing places to do a sport you love.”
Last vacation destination: Italy! The destination was chosen for me because there was a competition there, but it was great to stay after the competition and eat gelato guilt-free.