Katrina Innanen graduated with a bachelor of kinesiology degree on June 2 in a historic online convocation ceremony hosted by the University of Toronto for over 15,000 graduating students. On June 8, Innanen joined KPE dean, Professor Ira Jacobs, and fellow KPE students, in delivering special messages of congratulations on their many accomplishments, not the least of which is completing their degrees in the most unusual of times. Here she shares her path to kinesiology and what she takes away from the experience.
What led you to study kinesiology?
I was always interested in the human body and health and so when I was looking in grade 12 the kinesiology program looked like the best fit for my interests. I thought that it would set me up well for a career in health care and offered lots of opportunities to explore careers. I also liked how it was so specialized early on, as opposed to some other schools where the first two years are more like a general life-sci degree.
What has the experience of studying kinesiology at U of T been like?
I have loved my five years! in first and second year you get introduced to the basics in a wide variety of fields like anatomy, physiology and physical cultural studies , which helped me to see different areas that I might want to look (or not) at taking my upper year courses. I loved how in third and fourth year there were so many options for courses, and you could really specialize in a certain area. The ability to try out research (in the KPE390/490 course or doing a summer research project) and different practical placements (in the KPE355/455 courses) really allowed us to see different career paths that led from a BKIN degree. I believe that not a lot of other programs have this and I'm very grateful for being able to try both.
In addition, because KPE is a small faculty and we got the exposure to opportunities like the Outdoor Project (ODP) camping experiences, I always felt like I was surrounded by a great group of people. I can say that I probably knew 85%+ of the people in my first two years, and I don't think a lot of other programs can say that. I think that makes the whole undergrad experience more fun and rewarding.
Finally, being a varsity athlete, the program was very accommodating, and the fact that a lot of my peers were like-minded athletes helped me to balance academics and athletics at the same time.
What learning experiences are you grateful for?
I am super grateful for all the different types of learning we experienced in KPE. Although at the time I did not fully understand the importance of ODP, I now look back on those times with fond memories. Those experiences taught us the importance of teamwork, resourcefulness and learning new skills, and I believe that they truly made us more rounded students and people.
I am also thankful for opportunities that I was able to have doing research with Professor Tim Welsh in the Action & Attention lab through the NSERC USRA program and then the KPE390 course offered through the department. Not many undergrad programs allow you to experience all aspects of research and I know that these experiences will help me greatly with future job and masters applications. In addition, the in-field-learning program really opened my eyes to the different employment opportunities for BKIN graduates. My experience working at Women's College Hospital in the women's cardiovascular health initiative program was so rewarding and opened my eyes to potential careers I would like the pursue. I am very glad I decided to undertake this program and wish I had started earlier.
If you could give a shout out to any prof, who would it be?
Shout out to Professor Tim Welsh for taking me in even after I said physical cultural studies was the best topic in a speech and being so accommodating with my crazy busy schedule and all my varsity athlete time commitments. And, for teaching me so much about the research process.
What’s next for you?
I am waiting to hear back about being accepted into the new masters of medical physiology program at U of T and I’m also working on my application for the prestigious Rhodes scholarship. Either way, you will still be able to catch me on the track doing this running thing next year and trying to pursue a career in health care.