Samir Bhatla joined more than 15,000 University of Toronto students who celebrated their graduation on June 2 in a virtual convocation ceremony - a first for the university. Here he shares the story of how he chose to apply to the kinesiology program at U of T and what he gained from that experience. Bhatla will be celebrating his degree a second time on June 8 at noon in an online graduation celebration hosted by KPE. Tune in to see the video, featuring KPE students and Dean Ira Jacobs, on the faculty's homepage or Instagram account.
Why I applied to kinesiology
When the time came to apply for university programs, I was quite clueless. I didn’t really know what I wanted to be, but I did know that I would likely pursue something related to healthcare. As I was picking my elective courses for grade 12, an upper-year student I knew recommended that I take the introductory kinesiology course.
All of a sudden I was exposed to this completely new field of study that I didn’t even know existed. I quickly became engrossed in the course material and looked forward to learning about every aspect of human movement, from the level of the vasculature to the bones and muscles that work in synchrony and allow us to perform daily tasks. It was fascinating to me how a simple movement such as raising your hand or picking up an object was the culmination of a series of signaling pathways and different physiological systems working together. What was really unique was that we talked about the study of kinesiology in the context of sport and exercise, as well as the importance of optimizing human performance to increase longevity. This was unlike any other course I had taken in high school. For a majority of my life, I had always been someone who enjoyed playing sports, particularly basketball, and I developed an interest in the sciences during my time in school. Kinesiology seemed to be the perfect union of my two major interests, sports and science, and just like that, I had a sense of clarity.
How I settled on U of T
After attending some recruitment events and campus tours, the answer was clear to me: U of T was where I needed to be. My father had also completed his undergraduate degree at U of T in business, so you could say my family was a little biased when it came to the decision-making process. They did however, provide me with the independence and autonomy to have the final say. There were a couple of key selling points for me. Firstly, by studying kinesiology at U of T, I knew I’d be learning from some world-class professors who have established themselves as experts in their respective fields. The program also had many different opportunities for student involvement such as employment, student groups and sports teams. I was quite active in high school and that was something that I wanted to carry over into my university career. Finally, the fact that I would be studying right in the heart of downtown Toronto really appealed to me because of all the affiliations that U of T had through their research and placement programs. Not to mention, there’s new food places to try at every single street.
Before applying to kinesiology programs around Ontario, I had already applied for more general science programs such as life science, biology, and medical science. While the decision to study kinesiology came very late in the process, it was, without a doubt, one of the best decisions of my life.
Best memories
I think the one thing that I can say I enjoyed the most about these past four years is the sense of community I experienced being a kinesiology student at U of T. The program is quite small and there were so many opportunities to meet new people and make friends. Coming into the program I was definitely nervous, as none of my friends from high school were attending U of T and I was entering a completely new world. I quickly learned however, that there were many individuals with whom I shared common interests and passions.
Each year I continued to get involved in different clubs, intramural sports teams and activities that were hosted by the program. Some of my most memorable experiences include being an Outdoor Projects counsellor, representing the Faculty as a student ambassador, attending the Hart House Leadership Retreat and, of course, captaining the co-ed intramural basketball team, which went on to win the division one championship. Through each of these experiences I had the opportunity to build meaningful relationships and develop myself as an individual. My proudest achievement was coordinating Orientation Week this past year for over 200 first year students. Through this role, I managed a team of about 75 other kinesiology students and we were in charge of planning out every minute of Orientation Week to make it as enjoyable and educational as possible for the new cohort of students.
University can be extremely difficult if one chooses to solely focus on academics and I have always been an advocate for student engagement during undergraduate study. Being a part of such a tightly-knit community has made my university experience that much easier and has truly put me in a position to succeed in all aspects of my life. As a first year student I looked up to many of the senior students in the program and I would like to think that now, I have become a role model for the younger students in the Faculty. I have made lifelong relationships with other students, Faculty members and professors, and am extremely grateful to all of these individuals for molding me into the man I am today.
Post-graduation plans
Now that I have completed my kinesiology degree, I have begun thinking about my next steps. Last September, I was fortunate enough to get a job as a member of the Game Presentation team for the Toronto Raptors. This was very exciting for me, as I have always been passionate about the sport of basketball and have been a fan of the Raptors since day one. This job really exposed me to the marketing and event management aspects of professional basketball and was a change from the more exercise or rehabilitation-based positions I was used to. In the next year or so, my plan is to pursue a post-graduate program in sport business or management in order to provide myself with the necessary skills and knowledge to have a career in professional basketball. Specifically, I would like to help expose the sport to different groups of people in Canada and throughout the world. At the end of the day, I’m going to stay true to my passion and focus on what I’m good at. Given my current skills, abilities, and knowledge of the sport, I genuinely think that this is where I’m meant to be. The game has given me a lot of opportunities and has also taught me many life skills such as leadership, respect and teamwork, and I believe this is my chance to make a positive impact.
Typically, many kinesiology students tend to pursue careers in physiotherapy, chiropractic and other fields within the biophysical realm. The kinesiology program at U of T is unique in that it explores the field of study using a multidisciplinary approach. This allows students to focus in areas such as the behavioural and sociocultural aspects of sport and exercise in our society. I found these two areas of study to be more interesting and enjoyable and they have challenged me to think about kinesiology in a more meaningful way.
This summer, I was supposed to be doing an internship with Canada Basketball, but unfortunately that was cancelled as a result of the pandemic. While it can be difficult to stay motivated during these unprecedented times, I have been trying to find ways to better myself and improve my skills. Whether that’s taking courses online to learn new things or networking with industry professionals, I think each and every one of us needs to find ways to capitalize on all this free time so that we’re well-equipped for the next phase of our lives.