The People of Kinesiology

My name is Nickholas (Nick) Basilio (he/him), and I am in my fourth and final year of the Bachelor of Kinesiology, Major in Kinesiology program at the University of Calgary. During my degree I was able to work on sociocultural qualitative research under the supervision of Dr. William Bridel. What began as a Program for Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE) project evolved into an ongoing research assistantship in Dr. Bridel’s “Fab Lab,” where our work explored the intersections of gender, sexuality, and race within sport and physical activity. 

Through this work, I published my manuscript “Autoethnography of a Queer Racialized Athlete” in the undergraduate journal Spectrum. My research and experience were also featured in a UToday story “How a summer research project helped an undergrad heal” by Elyse Bouvier (collaborator and photographer for this project). Outside of academia, I volunteer with the Centre for Sexuality as an information and program  support specialist and as a youth leader at Camp fYrefly. 

Growing up in a small town in Southwest Saskatchewan, I longed for a sense of acceptance and belonging from an early age. My own experiences with inequality have driven me to become the role model I wish I had as a child – someone dedicated to fostering equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. Entering university and the Faculty of Kinesiology specifically I was hesitant. I believed it would be by extension the same as my experiences in sport and physical activity. This is what led me to do this project. 

This project as part of KNES 441 (Practicum A) and in collaboration with the Faculty of Kinesiology’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility (EDIA) Committee under the supervision of Constance Heshka, involved creating a digital story archive for the faculty’s EDIA webpage. Through interviews, written stories, and photography, the archive highlights the experiences of underrepresented students, alumni, and faculty. The project uses storytelling as a form of activism and fosters a sense of community and belonging within the Faculty of Kinesiology. 

For Esther Famurewa (she/her), kinesiology was where her love for the human body intersected with her desire to understand people more deeply. A third-year Exercise and Health Physiology student and the EDIA Student Discussion Group Leader, she values how the faculty and program combines anatomy, psychosocial, and human connection. “It’s good to not just learn about the body,” she says, “but also learn how to interact with the people you’re learning about.” This is what initially brought her into the faculty, and what continues to shape her education. 

Esther’s relationship with sport and physical activity has evolved gradually throughout the years. Growing up, she did not see herself as an athlete, but movement became something that was empowering. From long walks, intentional workouts, and choosing to care for her body with purpose. Kinesiology helped her understand exercise in ways she did not when she was younger, approaching movement with knowledge and confidence. 

Belonging in the faculty has been through finding her community. More specifically, the peers who are open, supportive, and willing to learn alongside her. Although, at the same time she is aware of being one of the few Black students in the faculty. While she has not felt excluded, the absence of identity-specific spaces is noticeable. But, these gaps do not define her experience, and instead drive for opportunities of growth. 

For Esther, EDIA begins with accessibility and understanding. She believes exclusion is often rooted from unfamiliarity/a lack of education as opposed to intent, and that learning helps open doors. Initiatives like women’s only gym times and sensory-friendly workout spaces are meaningful steps forward. Yet, she imagines even more possibilities, like adaptive sport opportunities and programs for athletes with disabilities. 

To future students who may share her background and identity, Esther’s advice is short and simple: be yourself. Reflecting on her time so far in the faculty, she describes an image of intersecting roads – roads meeting and crossing. “Kinesiology has pushed me out of my comfort zone,” she says. “But that’s where growth happens.” 

For Giya Bassi (she/her), sport and physical activity has always been tied to curiosity. Growing up, she explored everything from competitive rock climbing to basketball, and eventually finding her way into sport medicine in high school. Volunteering as a trainer introduced her to injury prevention and rehabilitation, an experience that made kinesiology feel like the right program. “It let me explore both the physical and social sides of movement,” she says. A relationship that would eventually lead her into EDIA-focused work. 

Her relationship with movement shifted during COVID-19, when she had to step away from the activities that were a big part of her life. Starting university, she rebuilt that connection slowly and intentionally. Through hiking, weightlifting, and volunteering at the Thrive Centre, she rediscovered movement as something rooted in care rather than performance. Supporting cancer patients deepened that understanding, showing her how sport and physical activity can be a space for both strength and healing. “Their confidence reminded me that movement is about community,” she says. 

Belonging in the faculty emerged gradually. Without high school friends in her program, Giya initially felt a lack of connections. But, as she engaged with classmates, mentors, and eventually the EDIA Committee, she found spaces where she felt seen and supported. Joining the committee as the Student Co-Chair gave her a stronger sense of purpose. “Belonging is ongoing work,” she says, “but when student voices are heard, the faculty feels more inclusive.”

As a visible minority woman, Giya’s identity shaped how she moved through the faculty. Yes, there were moments she felt underrepresented or out of place, but those experiences sharpened her awareness of inequalities and strengthened her commitment to advocacy. She sees EDIA as working from the margins inwards, ensuring inclusion is built into classrooms, labs, and programs from the start.

To future students who share aspects of her identity, she offers reassurance and encouragement: seek community early, ask for support, get involved, and trust that your background brings value. “Your identity is your strength,” she says. Looking back, Giya sums up her experience with one phrase: turning silence into dialogue. 

For Jessie Dinh (she/her), when she first entered the faculty, she was both curious and uncertain, hoping to find a field where science and people intersected. Kinesiology felt exactly like that – smaller classes, hands-on learning, and a sense of community that made the faculty feel accepting. “I wanted a program where I could learn beyond the textbook,” she says, “and kinesiology felt like it had space for that.” 

Her relationship with sport and physical activity has been shaped by both joy and fear. Growing up as a gymnast, movement was central to her life until a near ACL tear pushed her away. Rebuilding her connection to movement happened slowly. Through hiking, snowboarding, and exploring the outdoors with her loved ones. These experiences helped her rediscover movement as something grounding and enjoyable rather than constantly performance orientated. 

Belonging in the faculty took time. As a visible minority woman, Jessie often found herself in classrooms where she did not see many people who looked like her. But, connection emerged through meaningful friendships, leadership roles in the University of Calgary’s Students’ Union, and eventually the First-Generation Mentorship Program. “I wish it existed when I started [First-Generation Mentorship Program]” she says. “Having someone to guide you through something new makes such a difference.” 

Jessie sees EDIA as removing barriers and recognizing that access and opportunity in sport and physical activity are not evenly distributed. One initiative that stands out to her is the women’s only gym time, something she witnessed firsthand during her SU work. Sign-ups filled almost immediately, and students shared how much safer and more comfortable they felt. “A small initiative changed the way so many women approached the gym,” she says. 

Still, she sees room for growth: more diverse representation, better awareness of EDIA initiatives, and safe spaces for students to engage in identity-based conversations. She believes that intentional integration across all courses, and not just those explicitly labeled as EDIA focused, is essential for meaningful progress. Looking back, she sums up her experience in the faculty in one word: encouraging. 

For Ameen Alizada (he/him), sport and physical activity has always been more than competition. It was structure, purpose, and a pathway to becoming who he is today. Growing up, he spent entire days on the soccer field or track, learning discipline, leadership, and how to navigate difficult moments. “Without sport,” he says, “I’d be a very different person.” 

The faculty became the place where his love for movement, interest in science, and desire to serve others came together. Throughout his degree, Ameen ran track & field and played soccer competitively, volunteered and conducted research with the Calgary Stroke Program, and learned to see movement not only as performance, but health, identity, and community. 

Ameen’s identity as a first-generation immigrant shapes how he understands access and equity. His father arrived in Canada from Afghanistan as a child, and getting involved in sports and activities growing up were difficult to navigate and riddled with barriers. Those realties pushed Ameen to co-found the Cleats4KidsFoundation, a non-profit organization that provides free programming, covers sports fees, and distributes donated equipment. 

To Ameen, EDIA in sport and physical activity means ensuring everyone can experience the transformative power of movement, regardless of identity, race, gender, or circumstance. It is the responsibility to recognize barriers and remove them, to make programs accessible, and to design systems that welcome rather than exclude. He sees the faculty taking meaningful steps: equity-focused awards, research on women’s and Indigenous health, and instructors who embed EDIA into teaching and mentorship. Real change, he believes, is slow but possible when people commit to it sincerely. 

Now in medical school, Ameen carried forward the same principles that guided him during his time in kinesiology: advocacy, service, and community care. He hopes to become a physician who can provide culturally sensitive care and support to newcomers. Reflecting on his journey, he chooses one word: enriching – and adds that if he could do it again, he would try to take on even more opportunities as it was when he stepped outside of his comfort zone that he grew the most. His message to future students is simple: the doors are open – step through them. 

For Ray Wang (he/him), kinesiology became the place where uncertainty transformed into direction. He entered the program without a fixed plan, initially drawn by its overlap with medical sciences, and ultimately staying because of the environment. Movement-based labs, shared physical activity, and approachable peers created a sense of camaraderie he did not experience anywhere else. “Some of my closest university friends came from that first year,” he says. “Moving with people builds connection.” 

Ray did not grow up in organized sport. Instead, he found movement through weight lifting during high school. What began casually became a constant in his life and a grounding practice he returns to, even with the busyness of graduate school. 

Belonging emerged through relationships: the friends he made in labs, the supportive faculty around him, and the mentorship of his graduate supervisor Dr. William Bridel, who prioritizes listening, care, and creating space for student voices. “He makes sure we’re heard,” he says, “even when we’re anxious or unsure.” 

Ray’s research on Chinese Canadian men’s health and wellness, reflects both personal experience and broader cultural patterns. While he has not faced discrimination within the faculty, he has long been aware of how Chinese and Asian masculinities are portrayed in movement culture. Stereotypes of being “weaker” or “less athletic” shape confidence and participation. His work challenges these narratives and explore how identity intersects with movement and wellness.  

For Ray, EDIA in sport and physical activity starts with access: ensuring everyone has the opportunity to experience the physical, mental, and social benefits of movement. But he also recognizes the challenges. “EDIA can become a buzzword,” he says, and how sometimes action does not match the language. Real change, he believes, requires personal commitment, not just policy.  After nearly seven years in kinesiology, Ray describes his journey with one word: growth. “It’s been a journey of finding belonging,” he says. “Of becoming who I want to be.” 

For Mannat Bansal (she/her), when she first entered the University of Calgary, she was not a kinesiology student at all. She transferred in after realizing she wanted an education that viewed people as a whole. One that connected cells, bodies, and societies. Kinesiology offered exactly that, and eventually led her toward an MD/PhD. 

Sport and physical activity have been central to Mannat’s life since childhood. Diagnosed with an autoimmune condition at the age of five, she learned early on how essential movement was for managing her health. She grew up playing basketball and joining every team she could. As an adult and graduate student, motivation comes and goes, but one truth has not changed: movement makes her feel better. 

Belonging became one of the most defining parts of her experience in the faculty. Compared to her previous program, kinesiology felt collaborative and supportive. Students shared notes, professors cared deeply, and competition took a back seat to community. As a visible minority, Mannat’s identity sharpened her awareness for gaps, especially when curriculum tools did not reflect her lived experiences. Those moments pushed her to think critically about access, equity, and who benefits from movement. Kinesiology gave her the language to recognize disparities outside the university as well, especially within her own community’s experiences with cancer care and exercise oncology. 

For her, EDIA starts with one question: Is this the experience for everyone? She has seen meaningful progress, such as more inclusive nutrition practices, women’s only gym times, and an EDIA committee producing real action. But she believes this work must continue and expand. To student who share her identity or background, Mannat’s message is reassuring. There are countless people within the faulty ready to listen, support, and advocate alongside you. “You’re not alone,” she says, “and if something is not right, there are people who will help.” 

Asked to summarize her time in the faculty, she chooses two words: life changing. Kinesiology did not just shape her academic trajectory but the kind of physician, researcher, and person she is becoming. “Kinesiology made me more human,” she says. And that is the impact she hopes to carry forward. 

For Dr. William Bridel (he/him), sport and physical activity has been both a refuge and a source of harm. Growing up in a small town in Ontario during the 1970s and 80s, he fell in love with figure skating while the other boys played hockey. As a boy who did not conform to gender expectations, Dr. Bridel faced bullying and harassment. “I just wasn’t doing what boys were supposed to do,” he says. “But I didn’t care – I thought I was fabulous.” 

Despite the pain, movement remained central to his life. Over time, he reclaimed skating on his own terms and found new forms of joy through running, triathlons, and decades of teaching group fitness. These embodied practices became ways of healing, reconnecting, and redefining what movement meant to him. 

Dr. Bridel joined the University of Calgary eleven years ago, drawn by an opportunity to build a sociocultural stream within the Faculty of Kinesiology. Off the bat he found support – from the dean, colleagues, and the broader community. 

In 2020, alongside undergraduate student Gagan Minhas, he co-founded the faculty’s EDIA Committee. Student-led initiatives such as the EDIA discussion groups have since become vital spaces for learning, sharing, and pushing for change. These efforts have helped shape curriculum, conversations, support systems, and pathways like the Indigenous admissions initiative. Still, Dr. Bridel is clear that kinesiology as a discipline historically shaped by White, cis, able-bodied men must continue learning, unlearning, and evolving.

When offering advice to students who share aspects of his identity, he emphasizes community: seek out supportive spaces, use campus resources, and find people who understand. He works to minimize power imbalances so students can show up authentically and safely – something he once needed himself. Asked to summarize his experience in the faculty, Dr. Bridel chooses not one word but four: possibility, frustration, hope, and joy.