Four students of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education were among the nearly 200 recipients of the 2019 Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award honoured this week at a ceremony hosted by U of T President Meric Gertler.
The award, established in 1994 by the U of T Alumni Association (UTAA) and the Division of University Advancement, recognizes students who have made outstanding extra-curricular contributions to their college, faculty, school or the university as a whole. It was nominated after Gordon Cressy, former vice-president of development and university relations, who was on hand to present the award certificates with President Gertler.
“I am very proud that KPE students were among those selected by the university’s selection committee and I extend both thanks and sincere appreciation to them all for their contributions,” said Ira Jacobs, professor and dean at KPE.
Edward Lin, Meagan Liu, Jessica Caterini and Anastasia Vlahiotis were recognized for their contributions to the Faculty that ranged from coordinating Orientation Week for first year students to helping improve the graduate student experience and promoting exercise to all students on campus and beyond.
“I am extremely humbled to receive this award,” said Liu, a fourth year student of kinesiology with a passion for helping other students get the most out of their university experience.
Liu helped deliver Orientation Week for KPE students over the past three years, going above and beyond what is required to deliver outstanding quality experiences to first year students, according to Darryl McSherry, KPE’s student advisor, who nominated Liu for the award.
“I am so proud of my involvement in the orientation program and I’m grateful for all the opportunities KPE has given me over the past four years,” said Liu. “Getting involved in extra-curricular activities helped me improve as a student leader and I hope that future and current KPE students will continue to take these opportunities to empower, inspire and motivate each other.”
Edward Lin served as President of the Exercise is Medicine (EIM) chapter at U of T, collaborating with students in medicine, physio/occupational therapy, nursing, kinesiology, pharmacy and exercise science to promote exercise as medicine for chronic conditions. Through EIM, he became a co-founder of the Medicine in Motion podcast, using it as a platform to educate the general public on topics relating to health and exercise.
“My engagement in extra-curricular activities has allowed me to advocate for what I believe is important, while learning from others,” says Lin, who is in his second year of a graduate degree in exercise science at KPE.
“I believe this award comes with a responsibility to assume further leadership roles in the future and use my experience and knowledge to motivate others in important causes,” said Lin, who thanked his supervisor, Professor Scott Thomas at KPE, for encouraging his extra-curricular pursuits and providing him with guidance on how to balance his academic and non-academic responsibilities.