Once every year, the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education hosts an award ceremony to celebrate outstanding undergraduate and graduate students with scholarships that are funded, for the most part, by the generosity of alumni and friends of the Faculty. The evening is also an opportunity for the students and donors to meet, often for the first time.
Michael Jorgensen, a PhD student in the exercise science program at KPE, didn’t get the chance to meet his donor – and namesake - Michael Guinness, who was justifiably absent, but he did get to meet his sister, Sharon Guinness, who came to support Jorgensen in her brother’s stead.
“My brother’s positive experience in sport and campus life is what motivates him to give back to the Faculty, so that students today can enjoy the same privileges he did as a student at the University of Toronto,” she said.
Guinness, now working as a physician in Ohio, graduated from the School of Physical and Health Education in 1972 and represented Canada at the 1970 World University Games in Turin, Italy, as member of the Varsity Blues swim team. The Guinness Fellowship for High Performance Sport was established in 2010 for high achieving graduate students in the exercise science program.
“Getting the Guinness Fellowship means a lot of things to me,” said Jorgensen, who is studying concussion injury under the supervision of Associate Professor Lynda Mainwaring. “It’s a recognition for the work I’ve done and reassurance for the work that I’m going to do. It’s great to get that acknowledgment and to see how much support there is from alumni of the Faculty,” he said.
Sharon Guinness and Michael Jorgensen enjoyed the Reception for Scholars on October 2 (photo by Jing Kao-Beserve)
This sentiment was echoed by Benjamin Divito and Danielle Carnegie, who each spoke of how the awards benefited them individually, while thanking donors on behalf of all the awarded students.
“These awards have enabled me to achieve more academically by reducing the financial burden that I and many other students face,” said Divito, a fourth year undergraduate student of kinesiology and beneficiary of the Charles and Ena Reeve Memorial Award and the Wilfred Mccleary In-Course Scholarship.
“They also allowed me to focus more of my energy on co-curricular opportunities like student government, student clubs and student initiative projects,” he said. “But even more importantly, these awards are a recognition of the commitment and perseverance by students to improve themselves as scholars, leaders and advocates.”
Carnegie, a PhD student in the musculoskeletal biomechanics and injury prevention lab studying under the supervision of Assistant Professor Tyson Beach, described the awards as both generous gifts and wise investments.
“I have had the pleasure of working alongside some of my fellow graduate students here tonight for the past few years and it never ceases to amaze me what incredible work they do,” she said. “They improve health and physical activity in those suffering from chronic diseases such as stroke, cardiac disease and cancer. They use sport as an avenue to influence public policy and they reduce injury risk through movement assessment and retraining strategies. Thank you for ensuring that we can be successful in the work that we are so passionate about.”
Close to a 100 undergraduate and graduate students benefited from the scholarships this year, which for the first time included the Gretchen Kerr PhD scholarship, established in honour of the KPE professor and vice dean of programs at the U of T School of Graduate Studies recognized internationally for her research in the area of athlete maltreatment and coach education.
Professor Ira Jacobs, dean of KPE, commended the awarded students on their commitment to excellence, saying they go above and beyond through co-curricular activities on campus and volunteer work in their communities.
“They are bright, engaged and talented leaders and we are proud to call them our own,” he said. “But, this event is also an opportunity to publicly declare, together with our students, our appreciation for the generous alumni and friends who support our Faculty. Our donors make a profound impact on the lives of students, student athletes and the Faculty as a whole.”