Convocation Spotlight: Brynn Walmsley
27 November 2024
Brynn Walmsley has always loved being physically active, so pursuing a degree in kinesiology specializing in adapted physical activity was a natural fit for her. Motivated by the belief that activity should be accessible to all, regardless of ability, she powered through the first two years of her degree during the pandemic with the encouragement and support of her classmates and fiancé.
Here, she talks about her favourite experiences getting hands on with clients.
How did you stay motivated when things got tough?
I started my degree during COVID, so my first two years were almost entirely online. That was really tough, but my roommates and I encouraged each other to keep going. My friends from class and my fiancé all encouraged me to do well and we often would all study together to keep motivated.
What are your go-to spots on campus?
Rutherford South has a hidden room on the third floor that overlooks the atrium. It’s often busy, but it's quite small so it is always quiet. Another place I like studying is Cameron Library on a Saturday morning, because that's the only time you can find empty seats there — haha.
What experiences had the most positive impact on your learning?
I took a couple of classes that involved community volunteer work. The one I liked the most, and that taught me the most, was at the Steadward Centre, the adapted gym at the University of Alberta.
In our labs there we were partnered up with a participant and helped them run through their exercises each week. It taught me a lot about how to be more personable and less clinical when actually working with people. A lot of our classwork is based on research, which is typically quite clinical in nature, so this lab was a really great chance to bridge the gap between what we were learning and how to apply it. You can't be so removed when you are working with real people, and it doesn't help to hold yourself as separate from the experience, as though you are just directing it. You really have to get into it and have fun with them to create meaningful experiences.
I also did Play Around the World for my practicum this past summer. I was paired up with an education student and the two of us went to a tiny hamlet in the Northwest Territories where we ran youth programming. The first few months while the kids were still in school we actually just got to play with the kids at recess and run games for gym class. In the summer we got the chance to do all sorts of different play with them: giant bubbles, water fights, paper airplanes, building with cardboard boxes, fishing, frog hunting, crafts, and LOTS of tag. So much tag. It was really rewarding to see how the kids developed in a structured environment and how much different their play was by the end of our time there.