Meet our Students

In high school, I realized that I wanted to pursue a profession in the healthcare system where I could help people and interact with them on a personal level. I was looking for something that would enhance my analytical skills, teach me to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and enable me to continue to study science. Kinesiology was a perfect fit because it focuses on active living, which has always been a key part of my life. As someone who was injured often when I was younger, it was nice to finally learn why and how it happened, and more importantly how to prevent injuries in the future.

I never imagined myself going to a large university, but when I toured Western I was surprised to learn that although it was big, it had a home-like feeling on campus because everything was very central. I love that at Western I got the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, with many various interests. I knew I wanted to pursue a degree in sciences, but what drew me most to Western was that you had to take classes in different disciplines. Western values learning about diverse topics and perspectives and nowhere else would I be able to take so many courses in political science, music theatre, or philosophy, that were not part of my major.

My most memorable experience was my placement course in fourth year Clinical Kinesiology. I was placed at Hands on Health Wellness Centre and on my first day was immediately put to work. The clinicians taught me how to administer different treatment modalities and by the end of the first month I was creating treatment plans myself. The encouragement from my supervisors and co-workers enabled me to gain confidence in both my knowledge as a kinesiology student and my interpersonal skills.

What was most interesting was learning about different cultures while helping others. I learned how to communicate with people who spoke different languages and learned that everybody expresses pain in different ways.

In the fall of 2023, I enrolled in a Master of Physical Therapy program at the University of Toronto. I know my time both at Western and in the Clinical Kinesiology module will serve me well. The various research, analytical and interpersonal skills I developed during my four years at Western helped prepare me for my future education. There are many kinds of physical therapy and although I don’t know yet which type of physical therapy I intend to practice, my goal is to help people and improve the quality of their lives. I was raised on the idea of doing good in the world - give to charity, volunteer in the community and pursue a profession with meaning. That is what I intend to be doing as I move forward.