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 ؿζSM'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 U of T.</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 U of T’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 U of T'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 U of T 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 U of T'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 U of T 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 U of T’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 U of T’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 U of T 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 U of T 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 U of T’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;U of T'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 U of T’s Council for Aboriginal Initiatives and supported by U of T'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 U of T 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 U of T 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 U of T 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 U of T 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">U of T 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 ؿζSM (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 ؿζSM, 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 U of T'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 U of T’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