When Joanne Lew, an international student from Malaysia, was deciding where to study for her undergraduate degree, she wanted to find a place where she could feed her passion for movement and her academic ambitions for physiotherapy. At the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE), those two worlds don’t just coexist, they thrive together.
One of the primary reasons Joanne chose the Bachelor of Kinesiology (BKin) program was the unique curriculum structure. While many programs focus solely on the "hard" sciences, the BKin degree is celebrated for its multidisciplinary approach.
“I really liked how KPE has a bit of a mix between humanities and sciences,” she says. “It's a good balance that you can't really get at any other program.”
The BKin program combines biophysical, psychological, and physical cultural areas of study and includes course topics like exercise physiology, psychology of injury and rehabilitation, ethical issues, and biomechanics. Another course is anatomy, which Joanne cites as her personal favourite. But it wasn’t just this balance that led her to the faculty and kinesiology in general.
“I used to play a lot of sports when I was in Malaysia, and now I just like to stay active by going to the gym and playing volleyball,” she says. “I really liked the idea of staying involved in sports and I was also really interested in physio, so I thought KPE was a good pathway for me.”
Joanne often finds herself at drop-in volleyball and is part of the intramural volleyball team, both of which are offered through Sport & Rec, a division of KPE that offers sport and physical activity programs for all U of T students.
“Every U of T student is a Sport & Rec member through their ancillary fees, giving them access to a wide range of programs — from open recreation and intramurals to fitness classes, aquatics, clubs and equity-centred initiatives,” says Amanda D’Arcy, director of Sport & Rec’s Active Healthy Living Programs. “With thousands of students engaging each year, these opportunities help build community, enhance well‑being and make campus life more fulfilling. I encourage all students to take advantage of their membership — it’s their pathway to active healthy living, and we are here to support them along the way.”
For any student, finding community is often an important part of the first-year experience. For an international student, it can be crucial to navigating not only the institution, but a new city and culture. Joanne has found hers by taking advantage of all that KPE has to offer — its academic programs, KINections, and Sport & Rec’s facilities, programs and sport leagues. Getting out and being present is exactly what she recommends to future students looking to build friendships and support systems at the faculty.
“KPE is a really tight-knit community. There are people from a lot of diverse backgrounds, and people have a bunch of different interests. You'll definitely find your people. You just need to put yourself out there a little bit.”
KINtroductions is an ongoing series featuring BKin students, their experience at KPE and their future aspirations.