Micaela McBride

Background

About Micaela McBride

I have a passion for recreation and leisure services. I grew up in competitive figure skating, which led me to my first job with the City of Mississauga teaching with their Learn to Skate Program. Through this experience, I was able to learn about and operate in Recreation Programs, which pushed me to pursue my undergraduate studies within the same field. I discovered my passion for people, and how I love collaborating with others, while serving the community. Throughout my time at the University of Waterloo in the Recreation and Leisure Studies program, I was able to learn about the industry and how to use recreation and leisure as a tool to enhance the community’s physical, mental, and social health and well-being, and the importance of asking why. I have been challenged throughout my academic career in how we, the community, can improve our recreational services for targeted audiences. I have been able to push the boundaries of societal norms, and advocate for equitable change throughout course assignments, case studies, and research. I was able to apply what I was learning in the classroom during my four co-op experiences. The Covid-19 pandemic brought its own set of challenges, and closed many recreation facilities. During this time of my co-op experiences I was redirected into the world of academia, and saw that there are many transferable skills from recreation to education. I had the privilege of having the student and teacher perspective, giving me dynamic insights on the job. Moving into the working world full time, I look forward to more exposure to recreation and leisure services in a wide variety of settings, and sectors. I have a focus on program coordination and program delivery, with a specific interest working with youth populations.