SOAR / en #UofTBackToSchool: Football goals and academic dreams /news/uoftbacktoschool-football-goals-and-academic-dreams <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">#UofTBackToSchool: Football goals and academic dreams </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-09-05-BTS-GRIFFIN-ASSANCE-GOULAIS-LEAD.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ezuTUqlB 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-09-05-BTS-GRIFFIN-ASSANCE-GOULAIS-LEAD.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=cbTQc21m 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-09-05-BTS-GRIFFIN-ASSANCE-GOULAIS-LEAD.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=s9oCmUE3 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-09-05-BTS-GRIFFIN-ASSANCE-GOULAIS-LEAD.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ezuTUqlB" alt="Griffin Assance-Goulais at Varsity Stadium"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>hjames</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-09-07T00:00:00-04:00" title="Thursday, September 7, 2017 - 00:00" class="datetime">Thu, 09/07/2017 - 00:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Griffin Assance-Goulais, a first-year life sciences student, says he dreams of playing football for the Varsity Blues and becoming a doctor (photo by Hannah James)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/hannah-james" hreflang="en">Hannah James</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Hannah James </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/uoftbacktoschool" hreflang="en">#UofTBacktoSchool</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/varsity-blues-football" hreflang="en">Varsity Blues football</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/soar" hreflang="en">SOAR</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item"> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When you’re shy, sometimes you need a little push.</p> <p>That’s what <strong>Griffin Assance-Goulais </strong>learned when his younger brother&nbsp;lovingly shoved&nbsp;him in front of University of Toronto's Varsity Blues defensive line coach <strong>Joe Cappiello</strong> at a tryout camp in Oshawa, Ont., and said, ‘Hey coach, this is my brother Griffin and he wants to go to your school.'"&nbsp;</p> <p>He got noticed. It was, Assance-Goulais says, exactly what he needed to pursue his dream of studying science and playing football at ֱ.</p> <p>“When I want something, I want it,” says Assance-Goulais, an accomplished athlete who competed in high school sports, including javelin, shotput and football.</p> <p>As a high school student, he also took part in two of ֱ’s programs for teens, which he says helped crystallize his goals. He spent one week last year at the Faculty of Medicine's&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ysp.utoronto.ca/med">Youth Summer Program</a>&nbsp;and prior to that spent March break at the&nbsp;<a href="https://kpe.utoronto.ca/soar-aboriginal-youth-gathering">SOAR</a>&nbsp;Aboriginal Youth Gathering.</p> <h3><a href="/news/high-school-students-spread-their-wings-u-t-s-soar-program">Read more about ֱ's SOAR program for teens</a></h3> <p>Since then, Assance-Goulais, who is Anishinaabe and whose&nbsp;home community is Chimnissing First Nation on Christian Island – a place he describes as “the most beautiful place on Earth” – has decided he wants to pursue medicine, with the hopes of eventually working in his community.</p> <p>His first step: starting in the life sciences program at ֱ and having "a dream come true"&nbsp;– signing&nbsp;a letter of intent with the&nbsp;<a href="http://varsityblues.ca/index.aspx?path=football">Varsity Blues football team</a>. As the New College student&nbsp;adjusts to life on ֱ's&nbsp;downtown campus,&nbsp;he is also training four to six days a week with&nbsp;varsity&nbsp;coaches&nbsp;at the Goldring Centre&nbsp;so he can join Varsity Blues veteran players in their strict training regimen.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__5883 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/2017-09-05-GRIFFIN-FOOTBALL.jpg" style="margin: 10px; width: 680px; height: 453px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>Griffin Assance-Goulais, No.&nbsp;83,&nbsp;playing with the&nbsp;North Bay Bulldogs (photo courtesy of Griffin Assance-Goulais)</em></p> <p><strong>Greg Gary, </strong>Varsity Blues head coach and manager of football operations, says Assance-Goulais's dogged persistence helped the young football player.</p> <p>The coach decided to invite Assance-Goulais to ֱ for a tryout and a tour of the university. “We hadn’t seen him play a lot of football at that point, but once we invited him down and saw him play, we thought he would be a really good fit for the program,” he says.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="Photo of letter-signing" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__5902 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/2017-09-06-varsityblues_2.jpg" style="margin: 10px; width: 417px; height: 453px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>Assance-Goulais signed the letter of intent, with Gary at his side, in the spring (see photo, left).</p> <p>Gary says Assance-Goulais is coming from a smaller centre for football that hasn't had the same calibre&nbsp;of competition as some larger centres, “Physically he can play the game. It’s just a matter of developing him.”&nbsp;</p> <p>For Assance-Goulais, his ultimate goal is to become a doctor because he loves helping others and wants to work in his community.</p> <p>“I want to be better than me five minutes ago, better than me a week ago, better than a month ago,” says Assance-Goulais. “That goes for everything – football and,&nbsp;above all else, for academics."</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 07 Sep 2017 04:00:00 +0000 hjames 114767 at High school students spread their wings at ֱ’s SOAR program /news/high-school-students-spread-their-wings-u-t-s-soar-program <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">High school students spread their wings at ֱ’s SOAR program</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-03-21-LEAD-SOAR.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=85lhlsQJ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-03-21-LEAD-SOAR.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=QCiTQC7P 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-03-21-LEAD-SOAR.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=VqkQY4_x 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-03-21-LEAD-SOAR.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=85lhlsQJ" alt="SOAR participants"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>hjames</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-03-21T13:56:16-04:00" title="Tuesday, March 21, 2017 - 13:56" class="datetime">Tue, 03/21/2017 - 13:56</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">From left to right, Grade 11 students Lauren Abel and Stacia Nootchtai came to ֱ with chaperone Kim Pahpeguish (photo by Hannah James)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/hannah-james" hreflang="en">Hannah James</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Hannah James </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/indigenous" hreflang="en">Indigenous</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/education" hreflang="en">Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-education" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/kpe" hreflang="en">KPE</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/soar" hreflang="en">SOAR</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>From learning how to use a blood pressure cuff to smudging with an elder, Indigenous high school students spent a week at ֱ checking out campus life in Canada’s biggest city.</p> <p>They came from across Alberta and Ontario, from small cities, big cities and First Nations communities, to take&nbsp;part in ֱ’s annual SOAR Aboriginal Youth Gathering. The week-long program&nbsp;from March 13 to 17&nbsp;helped&nbsp;students&nbsp;explore the possibility of pursuing a&nbsp;post-secondary education.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I like the way this place feels. It feels really homey,” said Stacia Nootchtai, a Grade 11 student from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, also known as Whitefish&nbsp;Lake First Nation, over breakfast in the Turtle Lounge at&nbsp;ֱ's Centre for Indigenous Studies.</p> <p>The Faculty of Kinesiology &amp; Physical Education (KPE) has been running SOAR since 2009. Open to Indigenous teens&nbsp;aged 14 to 17, the program is funded through the Ontario Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, guided by ֱ’s Council for Aboriginal Initiatives and supported by ֱ's First Nations House.</p> <h3><a href="/news/u-t-welcomes-indigenous-teens-downtown-toronto-campus-over-march-break">Read more about SOAR</a></h3> <p>“Each year, we introduce high school students to Indigenous role models – faculty and students –&nbsp;so they can see themselves in a few years coming to higher education,” said&nbsp;<strong>Susan Lee</strong>, assistant manager of&nbsp;co-curricular diversity &amp; equity at KPE. “It’s just opening up the doors for them to say, 'here’s an opportunity for you'.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Lee said&nbsp;a recent study of the <a href="https://kpe.utoronto.ca/about/soar-aboriginal-youth-gathering">SOAR program</a> showed that&nbsp;a high percentage of students referenced their SOAR experience when applying to university, college or for awards. Many&nbsp;went on to&nbsp;complete post-secondary programs&nbsp;in everything from culinary arts to kinesiology to social work.</p> <p>At ֱ last week, students visited various faculties across campus including the Faculty of Medicine and the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work to learn more about what programs are offered.</p> <p>A main component of SOAR&nbsp;is showing participants that attending university doesn’t mean giving up their culture. The week also&nbsp;included workshops at First Nations House and traditional teachings with ֱ Elder&nbsp;<strong>Cat Criger</strong>.</p> <p>Nootchtai said&nbsp;she’s thinking about studying visual art – and talking to the SOAR coordinators really opened her mind to new possibilities.</p> <p>“This gave me ideas of what to do and where to go,” she said. “And, you can incorporate Indigenous studies with your art.</p> <p>“I just felt at home here. It made me want to come to ֱ more than I did before because I actually got to see what everything is like.”</p> <p>Lauren Abel, a Grade 11 student, said she's&nbsp;also considering going to university.</p> <p>“I want to help people so maybe I could study health sciences of social work,” she said.</p> <p>On their last night together, the SOAR group visited the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto for some drumming and dancing.</p> <p>“It’s always good when you see them enjoying their culture,” said <strong>Roy Strebel</strong>, a SOAR on-site coordinator and mentor and a fourth-year Indigenous studies specialist student. “It really put a lump in my throat because I was really happy to see them happy and engaging in it.”</p> <h3><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/03/16/indigenous-students-find-support-at-u-of-ts-hart-house.html">Read the<em> Toronto Star </em>story about SOAR&nbsp;</a></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 21 Mar 2017 17:56:16 +0000 hjames 106002 at ֱ welcomes Indigenous teens to the downtown Toronto campus over March Break /news/u-t-welcomes-indigenous-teens-downtown-toronto-campus-over-march-break <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">ֱ welcomes Indigenous teens to the downtown Toronto campus over March Break</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-02-28-LEAD-SOAR_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=OO1tA5dK 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-02-28-LEAD-SOAR_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=W0zSeW1E 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-02-28-LEAD-SOAR_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=04MjMOVK 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-02-28-LEAD-SOAR_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=OO1tA5dK" alt="Artwork by Lindy Kinoshameg. "> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>hjames</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-03-02T16:00:02-05:00" title="Thursday, March 2, 2017 - 16:00" class="datetime">Thu, 03/02/2017 - 16:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Indigenous high school students from across Ontario will spend March Break at the University of Toronto (illustration by Lindy Kinoshameg)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/hannah-james" hreflang="en">Hannah James</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Hannah James</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student-life" hreflang="en">Student Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/indigenous" hreflang="en">Indigenous</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/education" hreflang="en">Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/first-nations-house" hreflang="en">First Nations House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/kpe" hreflang="en">KPE</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/soar" hreflang="en">SOAR</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/community" hreflang="en">Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Indigenous high school&nbsp;students from across Ontario will spend March Break at the University of Toronto, experiencing life on campus&nbsp;through the annual&nbsp;<a href="https://kpe.utoronto.ca/about/soar-aboriginal-youth-gathering">SOAR&nbsp;Aboriginal Youth Gathering</a>.</p> <p>For students coming from small or remote communities, or those who may be the first in their family to consider post-secondary education, SOAR offers a way for students to test out university life in a welcoming environment.</p> <p>“What we try to do is engage their interest&nbsp;and get them to see themselves in higher education,” says&nbsp;<strong>Susan Lee</strong>, assistant manager of&nbsp;co-curricular diversity &amp; equity at ֱ's Faculty of Kinesiology &amp; Physical Education (KPE).</p> <p>KPE&nbsp;has been running SOAR since 2009. Open to Indigenous teens, aged 14 to&nbsp;17, the program is funded through the Ontario Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, guided by ֱ’s Council for Aboriginal Initiatives and supported by First Nations House.</p> <p>“I want them to know it’s open for them,” says&nbsp;<strong>Sarah Bear</strong>, a program coordinator and fourth year student, double-majoring in history and English. “They shouldn’t be worried about coming here. They can succeed here.”</p> <h3><a href="/news/indigenous-teens-try-out-university-toronto-march-break">Read about last year's SOAR activities</a></h3> <p>Students this year are coming from Thunder Bay, Atikameksheng First Nation, Toronto, Oakville, Ottawa, Dryden, Whitefish River First Nation, Brampton, Ramara, Naughton&nbsp;and Mississauga.&nbsp;</p> <p>Lee says the organizers for SOAR are faculty, staff and students, who also act as mentors and role models.</p> <p>Bear says she’s excited to meet this year’s cohort of students, and has helped plan a week that includes visits to various faculties across campus, Indigenous drumming, music and dance workshops and visits to First Nations House&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Native Canadian Centre of Toronto.&nbsp;It's an opportunity to&nbsp;show&nbsp;students they can leave home to go to school and still find a community here.</p> <p>“They don’t have to give up their own culture&nbsp;and their own sense of identity,” says Bear.</p> <p>Lee says a recent study of the SOAR program showed that&nbsp;a high percentage of students referenced their SOAR experience when applying to university, college or for awards. Many&nbsp;went on to&nbsp;complete post-secondary programs&nbsp;in everything from culinary arts to kinesiology to social work.</p> <p><strong>Sasha Reid</strong>, a former student coordinator for SOAR calls the program “life changing.”&nbsp;Reid is from the small town of Dryden&nbsp;and knows how intimidating it can be to come to a bustling city to attend University. Now in her second year of a PhD program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, she wants SOAR participants to know that anything is possible.</p> <p>“It might be scary, but like a little bird leaving the nest, you might fall and hit the ground, but you might also just be able to spread your wings and fly,” Reid says.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 02 Mar 2017 21:00:02 +0000 hjames 105255 at