When Allysha Wassegijig talks about her many successes as a student at the University of Guelph-Humber, each story starts with her saying that she just happened to be in the right place at the right time. She became president of the Aboriginal Student Circle by chance. She presented research at a major conference thanks to luck. And now, she’s been hired to her dream job through a happy fluke. What Allysha, who graduated from UofGH’s Kinesiology program in 2014, doesn’t mention, is all the hard work that got her where she is.
Allysha grew up in Orillia, Ontario and always had an interest in sports. For years, she was a competitive swimmer and saw firsthand the benefits that athletics can have outside the field and pool. Allysha credits swimming with helping her build leadership, organization and time-management skills, and even widening her professional network, so she knew she wanted to study sports and fitness. After graduating high school, she enrolled in Humber College’s Fitness and Health Promotion program and dove into her classes.
She’d only been on campus for a few weeks when she heard that Humber’s Aboriginal Resource Centre was having a birthing ceremony in the Arboretum for two new canoes. Allysha decided to go watch the ceremony and was inspired by what she saw.
“That was my first cultural experience here on campus,” she says. “I thought it was really interesting and spoke to some of the organizers, and that’s how I started volunteering.” From there, she put in time with the Aboriginal Student Circle, organizing meetings, recruiting new members, planning events and assisting in the work to make it an official club. Eventually, Allysha became the group’s president.
After finishing her second year of study, Allysha applied and was accepted to take part in the bridging program, moving from Humber to UofGH to study Kinesiology. Courses in the summer semester got her ready for the switch and she quickly fell into her studies. Some stood out as favourites, and Allysha realized she had a passion for anatomy, physiology and exercise science. That passion and curiosity meant that one day she was drawn to a presentation by two faculty members who were showcasing a new healthy living project they were working on at Humber.
“They were saying that people often have difficulty losing weight, even though there’s scientific knowledge about how best to do it,” Allysha says. “What made them different was that they were combining exercise, behaviour change workshops and applied nutrition skills to try to get better results. I loved the idea, so I walked up to them afterwards and asked if they needed a hand.” Once again, Allysha’s initiative got her involved, and she joined the project as a research assistant, helping with data collection, analysis and eventually getting inspired to pursue a research thesis.
With months of study, preparation and writing under her belt, Allysha was given the chance to present her thesis at the Ontario Exercise Physiology Conference.
“I got to go up and present my findings. I don’t think it’s an opportunity I would have gotten to do anywhere else.”
“Most of the presenters were master’s and PhD students, so I got to see all of the other amazing research going on,” she says. “I got to go up, just like them, and present my findings. I don’t think it’s an opportunity I would have gotten to do anywhere else.”
After her thesis was finished, Allysha wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next. Her experience with research made graduate study look appealing, but she also wanted to join the workforce. Whatever Allysha picked though, she knew how she wanted to do it.
“Through my work in the Aboriginal Resource Centre and getting to know my culture, I realized that I wanted to do work that combined knowledge from a scientific approach, cultural approach and holistic approach, focusing on Aboriginal health and wellness,” she says. “It’s always been a passion of mine to work with the Indigenous community. As an Aboriginal person, you want to bring that perspective and worldview into everything you do. I think that’s common no matter what you’re doing, whether you’re a scientist, a teacher or a lawyer.”
With that in mind, Allysha recently spotted a posting for her dream job. Back in her hometown of Orillia, Lakehead University’s satellite campus was looking for someone to coordinate their Aboriginal Mentorship and Learning Program.
“It’s a job helping Aboriginal students who are interested in studying science. They wanted someone with a science background who had a thorough knowledge of the area and its Aboriginal communities who could do a lot of community building,” Allysha says. “The more I looked at it, the more I felt they were looking for me.”
She applied, interviewed and was enthusiastically offered the job — she starts later this month. Allysha’s initiative has driven her to seek out opportunities, rather than waiting for them to come to her. Even though she’s always been the one to take those first steps, she still chalks her successes up to a mix of good luck and preparation.
“Sometimes, it all just falls together,” she says. “If you have a passion and pursue your interest, those opportunities will come to you. You just need to be ready.”
Learn more about Kinesiology at the University of Guelph-Humber.