Vancouver born and raised, I have been lucky enough to experience the kind of outdoor pursuits that others can only dream of experiencing. Skiing Whistler, hiking Black Tusk, surfing in Tofino, scuba diving Porteau Cove, waterskiing in Pitt Lake, kayaking in Deep Cove, windsurfing at Jericho Beach, rock climbing the Chief in Squamish, playing beach volleyball at Spanish Banks; these are the kinds of activities that allow me to truly appreciate health and active living in the gorgeous outdoor setting of Vancouver.
In addition to my interest in recreational outdoor pursuits, playing on the soccer, basketball, volleyball and softball teams in elementary and high school and obtaining a degree in Kinesiology from SFU helped to pave the way for my career in health and fitness. Starting out in aquatics as a lifeguard, swim and aquafit instructor, I soon became certified as a land fitness instructor and personal trainer. At Club Med Florida, Mexico and the Bahamas, I gained experience as a fitness instructor teaching people from all around the world. At Club Med Colorado and Japan, I was able to turn my passion of skiing into a career as I became certified as a Level II Ski Instructor.
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| Rockclimbing in Squamish |
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| Skiing Kicking Horse, B.C. |
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| Waterskiing in Cancun, Mexico |
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| Hiking Yamnuska in Canmore, AB |
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| Beach Vball at Jericho Beach, Vancouver |
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| Scuba Diving in the Bahamas |
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| Surfing in Tofino |
In between my Club Med jobs, I held roles as a Group Fitness Coordinator at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, Fitness Director at the Robert Lee YMCA in downtown Vancouver and currently hold the role of Recreation Coordinator, Aquatics at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby.
HEAL MEd Expectations
My work experience and life experience has been centered on the concepts of health and active living. I am therefore hoping the HEAL Med program will enhance my knowledge of health and active living and bring with it a new perspective. I feel that in Recreation, the focus tends to be primarily on physical activity and nutrition. I realize that “health” encompasses much more than just these two elements and feel I have already gained a new perspective from just one weekend with my fellow HEALers.
Career Hopes
I hope to be able to better educate University students on the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle by applying the knowledge I learn in this program to my job as Recreation Coordinator at SFU. Eventually, I would like to do this as an instructor at a post secondary institution.
Health Interests, Concerns and Questions
I am interested in all aspects of health, but am most interested in the barriers to physical activity. Why are so many of us unmotivated to be physically active? How can we change this? How does one get motivated to start an active lifestyle? Is it up to the individual or society? Does this lack of motivation differ from culture to culture?Thank you for taking the time to read a little about my life. I look forward to growing, learning, sharing and laughing with the rest of my cohorts throughout our 2 year journey through HEAL!
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