Natalie is a UBC graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Geography. She is incredibly passionate about sport, and about inclusion specifically. She currently works at viaSport British Columbia as the Manager of Research & Social Innovation. Her responsibilities include coordinating research, data collection and analysis; evaluating and amplifying the impact of priority projects; and bridging connections between research and practice. Within this she leads several priority projects aimed at increasing participation of underserved populations. Notably, she successfully managed the implementation of a foundational inclusion training called All Youth Matter. The program was developed by viaSport to equip sport and recreation leaders to make a difference in the lives of diverse youth in their community, and has now been delivered to over 1200 participants in more than 65 workshops around BC. On campus, the training has been implemented for students in KIN 160 and for staff within UBC Recreation. For more information, please visit www.allyouthmatter.com
Prior to viaSport, Natalie has worked as a Research Assistant at UBC with Dr. Andrea Bundon, and as the Sport + Rec Editor of the campus newspaper, The Ubyssey. More recently, she worked as an Account Manager for Tribe Solutions Inc, the official merchandise partner of the International Triathlon Union and World Triathlon Series. In her free time, you can find Natalie underwater, up in the mountains, or playing, watching, and/or talking about sports. You can follow her journey on twitter at @natalieabele
Advice for peers and other students:
Don’t be afraid to talk to your professors and TA’s! Be curious, and share your ideas. They’ll be more likely to remember you, write you more detailed reference letters, and you never know, they may even hire you someday!
Get involved on campus. The connections you make and the experiences you have outside of the classroom will be more important than your grades.
Also, go to Thunderbirds games! UBC has some of the best varsity sports teams in the country.
