The School congratulates Mikayla, Assistant Captain of the Women’s Varsity Hockey team for being awarded the Buzz More Leadership Award and the Kay Brearley Service Award. The Buzz Leadership Award represents peer recognition for outstanding qualities and achievements in individuals, and the Kay Brearley Award recognizes exceptional service to the Women’s Athletic program.
Mikayla Ogrodniczuk is set to graduate Spring 2020 with a degree in Kinesiology in the Health Sciences stream. She has enjoyed being a part of the Kin community, expressing that she “truly appreciates having had the opportunity to learn at the top-ranked KIN program in the country!” During her time in KIN, Mikayla was a member of the UBC Women’s Varsity Hockey team, serving as Assistant Captain for the past two years.
“Being a varsity athlete has added tremendous value to my studies in Kin. I was able to apply what I learned in the classroom on a daily basis to my athletic life, and it provided me with a better understanding of the importance of nutrition, and the reasons behind the training sessions we completed.
There are many student-athletes in the School, and this provided an opportunity for us to connect through our love of sport. As a member of the Women’s Hockey team, we were required to travel a significant amount for away games; with our close-knit KIN community and supportive faculty, I knew that many of my classmates understood the challenges of missing school for competition – always willing to lend a helping hand. Most importantly, being a varsity athlete continuously challenged my ability to manage a full course load, training, competition, travel, and personal life. Time management is crucial in successfully managing the demands of varsity athletics, and I know the skills I developed studying Kinesiology while competing as a UBC Thunderbird will continue to help me navigate the demands of my future studies. The value I gained as a varsity athlete while studying at UBC is difficult to put into words. Competing as a UBC Thunderbird while studying in the School of Kinesiology was a dream I feel extremely grateful to have lived-out. I was immersed in two incredibly supportive communities, both of which aimed to educate and develop the next leaders in the academic and athletic worlds.”
Mikayla’s involvement in UBC Athletics inspired her to co-found the UBC Athlete’s Hub, Canada’s first mental health resource targeted at student athletes. This unique online resource focuses on increasing awareness of mental health issues, reducing stigma, and promoting coping skills and help-seeking among student-athletes. While completing her degree, Mikayla was a part of the UBC Interprofessional Health Mentors Program which aims to foster collaboration between healthcare trainees from different disciplines. Mikayla was one of 10 KIN students in her class to participate in this 3-term program.
This year, Mikayla was a part of the inaugural Campus Kinnections program, a student mentorship program that pairs senior kinesiology students with incoming students for a year-long partnership. Mikayla is looking forward to returning to work as an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the Aging, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab this summer where she gets to combine her love for physical activity with academic research. Upon completion of her degree this spring, Mikayla will continue her studies at UBC in the Master of Physical Therapy program in September.