Alumni Stories

See what these Kin alumni are up to and what they’re doing with their Kinesiology degrees.

Robyn Freiheit

Graduating year: 2015
Degree: BKin


Russell, David (1937-2021)

Graduating year: 1970, 1971
Degree: BPE, MPE
In 1981 he became Dean of the School of Physical Education at the University of Otago, NZ until July 1991. Following his period as Dean of the School, David established the Life in New Zealand Activity and Health Research (LINZ) Unit and served as the Director until his retirement in 2001.


Russo, Erminia

Graduating year: 1989
Degree: BPE
BC Phys. Ed. (Kinesiology) graduate Erminia Russo has forged an impressive career in the sport of volleyball. Erminia graduated from high school in Kelowna and beginning in 1982/83, her first year on UBC’s volleyball team, she was a starter quickly evolving into a three-time Canada West All-Star and All-Canadian.


Sainas, Bill (1939-2018)

Graduating year: 1949
Degree: BPE
Bill Sainas, who passed away in 2018 at age 93, was a member of UBC’s first Physical Education/Kinesiology graduating class in 1949. This small, pioneer class represented the first graduates in Physical Education in Western Canada.


Sarafis, Zoe

Graduating year: 2017
Degree: BKIN
I am currently living in Zürich, Switzerland, and completing my Master’s degree at Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ) in Health Sciences and Technology (Major in Neurosciences), which is a multidisciplinary program combining natural and engineering sciences.


Sargent, Joanne

Graduating year: 1973
Degree: BPE
For more than ten years after graduation Joanne played Senior ‘A’ basketball winning several Canadian championships, a Canada Games team gold in 1975 and more MVP awards (a reported eleven) than she can recall. Moreover she and her teams won three more gold medals at Masters and Seniors Tournaments in 2005, 2009 and 2010.


Schiebler, Jeff

Graduating year: 1996
Degree: BHK
While leading UBC to championship levels, Jeff in 1995, set UBC, Canada West and CIS national records in the 3,000m. In the 10,000m he achieved the Olympic standard and competed for Canada in that event at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.


Schrodt, Barbara ‘Bim’ (1929-2020)

Graduating year: 1951
Degree: BPE
Dr. Barbara Schrodt has the distinction of being one of a select group of UBC Physical Education (Kinesiology) graduates to be inducted as an individual into both the UBC and British Columbia Sports Halls of Fame.


Schubert, Loren

Graduating year: 2007
Degree: BKin
Loren Schubert is the Program Head for the Prosthetics and Orthotics Program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), one of only two accredited Prosthetics and Orthotics Programs in Canada and is the only program in Western Canada.


Sehmbi, Inderpal

Graduating year: 2016, 2018
Degree: HPCTL, MHPCTL
Currently a Canadian Men’s U21 Field Hockey Coach and also a Physical Health Educator with the VSB, Inderpal has attended the Pan-American Games, Youth Olympics, the World Cup, the Junior World Cups twice, and the Commonwealth Games as a coach and performance analyst.