As part of the School of Kinesiology in the Faculty of Education, KIN students are eligible to nominate candidates to stand for election as a Student Representative to the UBC Vancouver Campus Senate. The successful candidate will represent the student body on behalf of the Faculty of Education for a one-year term from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021. There is one (1) position.
Download Nomination Form
Nominations are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 9, 2020. Instructions for completing and submitting the form are on the form itself.
If you have any questions about how to complete or submit a nomination package, please contact:elections.information@ubc.ca.
Sep. 24, 2020 – New paper out by Dr. Guy Faulkner and colleagues on physical activity as a coping strategy for mental health during COVID-19. Read it here!
Jessica Hanson, BKin 2020, balanced the demands of academics and athletics while playing on the varsity women’s basketball team for five years. Leading as captain for three of her five years, and achieving Academic All Canadian status in the classroom, Jessica averaged over 80% in the classroom her last 3 years. No stranger to the Vancouver campus, daughter of Kevin Hanson, UBC BPE/Kinesiology graduate ’88, followed in her father’s footsteps playing basketball while achieving an undergrad degree at UBC.
After her dad was named Head Coach of the UBC Men’s Basketball Team in 2000, War Memorial gym became a second home to Jessica, spending a big part of her childhood learning about the game and becoming familiar with the beautiful campus. She will be returning back to the School of Kinesiology this year online, beginning her studies in the MKin program, where she will be focusing on the coaching science and psychological aspects of sport. In addition to this, she will once again be tackling the challenge of balancing academia and sport as she will be off to Ireland to begin her first year of playing professional basketball overseas.
During her undergrad, she began her coaching career with UBC basketball summer camps. In addition, she joined the coaching staff of Split Second Basketball, a Vancouver lower mainland basketball club, where she lead a mentorship program for young aspiring girls, and also acted as assistant and head coach for the past 3 years. Jess believes there is great opportunity for women in sport to have a positive influence in the lives and development of young upcoming athletes, as well as make a difference in the community. Her passion for both playing and coaching are fueled by the powerful impact that leaders in the sport community can have, as well as her desire to give back to a sport that has given her so much. More recently, Jess has taken part in Vancouver Basketball Foundation’s monthly Grow The Game Women’s Roundtable events, discussing various topics with other female coaches and leaders across the province and country.
Two notable professors for her were also strong female role models through sport and academia themselves, Dr. Maria Gallo, and as Dr. Carolyn McEwen.
Jennifer Joyce is a Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific. Jennifer states that the UBC MHPCTL program allowed her to pursue and advance her career, while providing quality education from both an academic and practical standpoint. “The aspect of being able to do an online Masters program while still continuing to work was essential for me. While the program holds students to the rigorous academic standards of UBC, we are also connected with key networks within the sport sector in Canada and learn current trends and best-practices within high performance sport,” reflects Jennifer.
“The graduate certificate component was an extremely practical and applied program, which helps coaches learn to be better coaches and ease into the academic environment. While the Masters component dug more into academic theory and the research process. Joyce says “as a Strength and Conditioning coach, being able to critically read research and publish research of my own is important to me, and this program gave me the tools to do both. This program helped me to be a better coach, ask better questions, and make better decisions to help my athletes and teams win Olympic medals. ”
Jason Reindl is the Head Coach for Track and Field and Cross Country at the University of Saskatchewan. Jason cites his decision to pursue his MHPCTL as, “I have always wanted to be the best coach that I could be and knew early on that completing my masters in the HPCTL program would be a huge step in that process. While coaching education and professional development are never ending, this degree allowed me to take a huge developmental leap forward as a coach. I believe this leap has been instrumental in the success of athletes and teams that I have the privilege of working with at the university, provincial, and national team levels.” To find a program that aligned with his professional coaching schedule was extremely important, and Jason states that the MHPCTL was exactly what he was looking for. The MHPCTL degree allowed Jason to be employed and coach full time, while also still enrolled in the program. Furthermore, the program allowed Jason to complete his NCCP Advanced Coaching Diploma, a graduate certificate, and most importantly, a Master’s in high performance coaching and technical leadership from a renowned institution.
Through the program, Jason reflects that he has gained an abundance of applicable information that is significantly different than what he was implementing prior to his involvements with the MHPCTL. “From the new ways of thinking around talent identification, gold medal profiling, gap analysis, and developing a more systematic approach to the athlete development process, these areas continue to be mainstays in my coaching practice today,” he states.
When asked if he would recommend the MHPCTL, he says “Absolutely. I believe that the MHPCTL program at UBC is the best in the nation and is best in class in its approach to development of world leading coaches. Any coach who is looking to take a huge step forward in their coaching practice would be wise to consider the program. UBC is a world-renowned institution and they have done an amazing job of implementing a best in class coach education program that I am proud to be a graduate of.”
Chris did not go down the path he envisioned for himself when he started his Masters at UBC. Instead the minor bumps along his way led him to a rewarding career as the Head of Athletics at St. Georges Senior School.
In the early 90’s Chris started his Masters in Human Kinetics, and he looked forward to working in the field of mental skills training / sport psychology with coaches and athletes at a professional level. However, when he realized it would mean having to complete a PhD to continue down this road, he rerouted his plans. By using the sport connections he had made through his volunteer and work experience Chris found his way into sports management.
Chris says “I soon realized that I was good at running small events for the Rugby Club in which I was involved.” His small successes quickly lead to bigger ones. “I continued to find rewards working with others to organize on-campus events, major tournaments and tours, as well as for the club itself.” But the place where Chris learnt and grasped the skills of problem solving, time management, communication, and setting out goals & strategies, were all at UBC. The valuable lessons he learned during his time at the School of Kinesiology are the things he now relies on a daily basis while working as the Head of Athletics. These lessons provided key skills that Chris states he relied on during his 15 years working at Sport BC – the governing body for the 60+ Provincial Sport Organizations in British Columbia
A few of Chris’s Favourite Pieces of Career Advice:
- Never burn any bridges, as you never know when you’ll cross paths with someone!
- Always be on time (even better, be a few minutes early!) for anything and everything as you only get one chance to make a first impression!
- Get involved as a volunteer – it’s a great way to find out about an organization or a business and to build on your network of contacts!
- Thank you cards matter!
- Do not expect a smooth career path – be ready to be flexible and take on new challenges as your environment evolves.
Loren Schubert, BKin 2007, is a Certified Prosthetist and the Program Head for the Prosthetics and Orthotics Program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). After graduating from UBC with a Bachelor of Kinesiology in 2007, Loren then went on to complete a diploma of Prosthetics and Orthotics at BCIT and a Master of Rehabilitation Sciences at McMaster University.
Loren reflects fondly upon memories of his time in the Kin program, such as his first-year orientation trip to Whistler and his participation in the HKUS (now the KUS) as a social coordinator. This provided him with opportunities to gain organizational skills while planning annual ski trips, Halloween boat cruise and various other activities.
Loren currently oversees the BCIT Prosthetics and Orthotics Program and also instructs the prosthetics curriculum. The program is one of two accredited Prosthetics and Orthotics Programs in Canada and is the only program in Western Canada. Prospective students can learn more about the program here.
Loren also practices as a Certified Prosthetist at Hodgson Orthopedic Group, where he provides prosthetic treatment to patients who have experienced limb loss. This involves everything from consultation and education to custom device design and fabrication. It combines providing essential patient care, working creatively with one’s hands, applying current research evidence, and integrating cutting edge technology. Loren finds it to be an incredibly rewarding role, where he has the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with patients, while having a significant impact in their lives and helping them reach their mobility goals.
Loren’s tips and advice for KIN students:
“A Bachelor of Kinesiology provides a wide variety of career opportunities. Though it is not as specific as many other programs, which can pose challenges when you are trying to figure out what you want to do with your education. Take the time during your education to network, shadow, volunteer and work in various roles, even if it takes you an extra year or two to finish your degree. This approach will help you determine what you’d like to do when you graduate and will allow for a natural progression to the next phase of your career.”
Adrienne Ng is the founder and managing director of Treasure Island Group. She arrived in Hong Kong in 1996 and began to develop outdoor education and recreation programs for children and youth. Her passion of “bringing the classroom outdoors” has continued to grow for the past 23 years. The company currently comprises outdoor education school camps, corporate teambuilding and events, beachside food and beverages, and a foundation that supports a local farm.
Adrienne first began developing recreation camps and programs for a Hong Kong Charity that works with at-risk youth and Vietnamese refugees. She later taught PE and coached sport teams in the English School Foundation. Adrienne recognized a need for outdoor education and recreation program that went beyond residential programs in both the private and public schools. At the young age of 23, she decided to use her outdoor experiences growing up in her native country, Canada, and her degree in Leisure and Sport Management from the University of British Columbia to start her own small outdoor business on Lantau Island –Treasure Island.
“After my working in the city job in Hong Kong, I arrived on Lantau Island and immediately fell in love with the natural treasures I discovered there and never left. Thus, the name Treasure Island was truly about the treasures on Lantau. I was young and excited and will always remember advertising for my first camp on my bicycle around the villages and putting posters all around. Even as I continued to teach PE with the ESF, I continuously pursued schools to leave the concrete jungle and take outdoor education beyond the classroom. When you are passionate about one concept and are consistent, that is how the success of TIG came to be. The education I received at UBC was a great foundation that gave me the skillsets and confidence to set up my own outdoor business. Since first starting, I believe we will have reached over 50,000 kids and have trained over 3000+ outdoor leaders to make a difference in their journey in the outdoor field”.
Adrienne is currently a keen surfer and adventure traveler and is infectiously happy and positive about running her outdoor company on Pui O Beach, Lantau Island.
Introducing Career Crossroads, a UBC School of Kinesiology podcast series produced by KIN Young Alumni, for KIN young alumni and graduating students. It’s critical now more than ever, no matter what stage of your career you’re in, to continue to look for work and stay connected during these unprecedented times.
Join KIN alumni, Yingying Zhao and Alyssa Reyes as they interview other Kinesiology alumni about how they navigated their next steps in life after university. Hear alumni stories, experiences and tips for success to help guide you in your career journey.
Episode #3 – Sept 24, 2020
Young Alumni lead, Nikol Grishin (BKin20), interviews KIN alum Hannah Haughn (BKin17) who played Varsity and professional field hockey at home and abroad and asks whether these experiences played a role in her decision to pursue a Masters in Counselling Psychology.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual interviewees belong solely to them and do not represent those of their employers unless explicitly stated. Nor do they necessarily represent the views or policies of the UBC School of Kinesiology.
