荔枝视频

A former first-gen student herself, Dr. Tara describes her teaching style as 鈥渇irm but compassionate鈥� (as described by her students), and how she鈥檚 in a very 鈥淏runo-centric鈥� period of her life right now.

This balance, shaped by navigating university firsthand and how unfamiliar academic spaces can feel. 

That commitment to advocating for the first-gen student experience extends beyond the classroom. As a member of last years鈥� First-Generation Networking Panel and as a researcher dedicated to springing theory into action, Dr. Tara鈥檚 philosophy transcends the classrooms, and goes to both the local and international policy-making levels. 

What鈥檚 the most exciting part of being a professor for you? 

T: What other job could I think of that鈥檚 so exciting? [To] develop a body of research that鈥檚 grounded in the voices of women and girls and then use this evidence to change national-level policies, international-level policies, I don鈥檛 think it can get any better than that. 

When asked about her space, Dr. Tara invites us into her world of plants, as a plant mom, she fights the aloe hate and defends her plant babies. 

You have three plants in your office, which one鈥檚 your favourite? 

T: You know I love aloe, I know it gets a little bit of hate, but I think it鈥檚 fun. And, it has healing properties! 

What鈥檚 your favourite lazy exercise?  

T: Walking my dog! I have a senior-citizen Saint-Bernard dog named Bruno, he鈥檚 almost 10 years old and he鈥檚 very slow. So, when I鈥檓 feeling lazy but still need to be active, I鈥檓 taking Bruno for a walk. 

Favourite artist at the moment? 

T: I have three teenage children, and two of them were really keen on getting Bruno Mars tickets. So, for the last week, we've been listening to Bruno Mars nonstop on every device in the house. 

What鈥檚 the beef between chiropractors and kinesiologists? 

T: (chuckles) That鈥檚 a great question, I don鈥檛 know of any beef, I don鈥檛 know of any drama between the two. I鈥檝e actually never been to the chiropractor, nor do I know any, but I鈥檓 sure they鈥檙e lovely! 

We鈥檝e heard that after age 23, you can鈥檛 build new muscle, only maintain or lose it. Is that actually true? 

T: I haven鈥檛 taken exercise physiology or anatomy in close to 30 years (chuckles), I study the body and our understanding and the experiences, so more sports psychology.  So, I鈥檓 going to leave that to my colleagues or who are exercise physiologists.   

Anything people will be surprised to know about sports psychology? 

T: Sports psychology is [finally] getting the attention it deserves now. Especially, when looking at high-performance sports, athletes are saying it鈥檚 not just the physical, it鈥檚 the mental. I think sports psychologists have known this forever but really, over the last decade, we鈥檝e seen a focus not just on strong bodies but also strong minds in sport. 

What would people be most surprised to learn about your research? 

T: I鈥檓 motivated to engage in research that can be put into action. I believe sports psychology is an area where we can make some change: at policy levels and in practice, to support gender equity in sports. 

Moreover, I think people would be surprised to learn how many inequities still exist in sport. For example, it was only in the Winter 2020 Olympics that women were allowed to participate in canoe for the first time in the Olympics. 

Speaking of the Olympics, do you have any standout athletes you鈥檙e rooting for? 

T: I'm especially excited about the Winter Olympics! I鈥檝e got my eye particularly on the alpine racers.  
We have some local athletes: and para-alpine racer , who I鈥檝e been watching throughout her career. 

Do you have a catchprase? 

T:  I say 鈥渙utstanding鈥� a lot, which I didn't realize until one of my colleagues told me, 鈥測ou use 鈥榦utstanding鈥� in everything.鈥� I take that as a compliment because I'm a pretty optimistic person. I think a lot of things are outstanding, including the program. 

What was your experience as a first-gen student? 

T: My experience was challenging when I was in my undergraduate degree. I think some of the biggest challenges arose because everything was just so new. I didn't know the language, I didn't understand what a bachelor's meant, I didn't understand the difference between an undergraduate and a graduate degree. 

How does being a former first-gen student impact your teaching style as a professor?  

T: I think the background that I bring and that all professors bring bleed into their teaching style. My background as a first-gen student provided that understanding that some of the students coming in might have very little knowledge [of the University].  

[For] some of them it鈥檚 the very first time they鈥檙e stepping foot on a campus.  

For me, its about recognizing that the experiences students bring with them can be really challenging, and I can help by showing compassion, being understanding and firm, outlining expectations and showing where resources on campus are. 

Have you ever felt imposters syndrome? 

T: Certainly, sometimes it still sneaks in, from the very time when I was an undergraduate until now.  

However, I think it鈥檚 important for me and students to do that positive self-talk, maybe it鈥檚 the sports psychology background in me. 

It鈥檚 [reminding myself] that I worked hard to get here, that I deserve to be here, that my expertise and what I can bring to the university community can be valued.  

Any advice or words of encouragrement for students? 

T: My biggest piece of advice: connect, make yourself a network and access those wonderful resources that we have here on campus. You belong here, and we need you. To make the impacts that we want to make, we need these diverse knowledges, perspectives and backgrounds.  

Do you have any hidden talents, can you show us? 

I can talk very fast. I don鈥檛 know where you would need to talk fast鈥攂ut if there was a competition 鈥擨 think I could potentially win. 

Dr. Tara took on the challenge of explaining her research in 15 seconds. 

鈥攄id she succeed?