Louise Blais shares passion for teaching
Louise Blais is a Kinesiology Professor at Okanagan College’s Penticton campus.
In this interview, she talks about what brought her to the field of human kinetics and teaching.
Q: What is your education and background?
A: The majority of my 35-year professional career has been spent working in almost every capacity in the health and fitness industry in Ontario and B.C. My experience spans from being a group exercise instructor and personal trainer to managing a commercial fitness centre serving over 5,000 members. During that time my singular focus was engaging more people to participate in physical activity. This mission ultimately led to me completing a Master's of Applied Health Science in
Behaviour Change at Brock University.
Q: What is your area of interest? A: My primary area of interest is centred around physical activity participation. I am interested in facilitating the uptake and maintenance of physical activity behaviours for improved health, with a special focus on creating equity between the genders on access to physical activity and sport. Beyond that, all things pertaining to the promotion of greater physical and mental health is important to me.
Q: When did you know you had found your discipline?
A: Although I wasn’t active in sports growing up, I started teaching group exercise classes when I was in high school and soon realized that the group exercise class environment was the gateway to lifetime participation in physical activity that individuals who were not “sporty” could access. It wasn’t until this experience that I realized that I too could be successful with exercise and this inspired me to help others feel successful too.
Q: Why did you choose to work at Okanagan
College?
A: Okanagan College has an excellent reputation as an educational institution and their Human Kinetics/Kinesiology Program is one of the best in the province. The centralization of the program on the Penticton campus fosters a cohesive connection between the students and faculty that enhances the program and its outcomes. it is also a dynamic program that is continually adapting to better serve the ever-evolving health and fitness industry.
Q: What do you like most about the work you do? A: Hands down, the teaching. I love connecting with the students and stoking their passion to create the much-needed changes in sport, fitness and policy required to foster more physical activity participation and greater health in our society.
Q: Favourite teaching experience?
A: Although this isn’t a teaching experience per se, it is an experience that I have only because I teach. Hands down, my favourite day of the teaching year is graduation day. Human Kinetics is unique in that we teach multiple courses per semester to the same cohort of students. This allows us to really connect with our students as we watch them grow and evolve over the two to three years that they are with us. It is rewarding to watch the stress of the past few years be replaced with their pride in themselves and their families’ love and support for them. It truly does take a village and I feel blessed to be a part of theirs.
Q: Who gave you the best advice you ever received? A: Many years ago, I was riding a very rocky, technical trail in Moab, Utah, and a friend told me to “pick a line and MAKE it work.” That advice has come in handy more times than I can remember on the trail but also in life. It really speaks to having a goal or a direction in your life and then devoting your focus and efforts on achieving it, regardless of the distractions or setbacks along the way.
Q: What advice do you have for new students? A: Be open to learning. Be open to being wrong and changing your mind. The health and fitness industry is young and therefore changing constantly. It is also multifaceted. There are many professional avenues to help others access greater health, being open to finding your passion will create greater success for the student and for those within their realm of influence once they graduate.
“Be open to learning. Be open to being wrong and changing your mind”
Louise Blais Kinesiology Professor
Okanagan College
Q: Why do you think people should study Kinesiology?
A: Health is central to all success in life. The Kinesiology Diploma program provides students with the tools to promote and improve health for all beings. They have the opportunity to change lives almost every day. I can’t imagine a profession that is more rewarding.
Q: If you could go back in time, is there anything you would do differently?
A: I don’t think so. I often think that my pension would be bigger if I started teaching sooner (just kidding, sort of) but without the many years of experience that I have in the fitness industry, I may not be as relevant to our students as I hope I am. I often hear our students express gratitude for the perspective I bring to their learning and therefore, I would not want to change that at all.
Q: Where are you the happiest?
A: Definitely a tie between spending time with my girls or being on my mountain bike. Luckily for me, my daughters that live in Canada (I have one in Australia) both love mountain biking as much as I do and I often do not have to choose one over the other.
Kinesiology Diploma
Experienced instructors in the Department of Kinesiology focus on supporting student development of applied skills for athletic performance, fitness leadership and community health promotion so that students can solve complex personal and social problems connected to physical activity and inactivity.Formerly called Human Kinetics Diploma, the Kinesiology Diploma is offered at the Penticton campus. Visit: www.okanagan.bc.ca/kinesiology-diploma-previouslyhuman-kinetics-diploma
Okanagan College’s Penticton campus has an active and energetic learning community, and is the perfect place for students to discover life-long relationships and their path to success.
University transfer courses in Arts and Science are available, meaning students can save money by starting their post-secondary education close to home and then transfer their studies to third-year of university. Programs are also available in Business Administration, Sustainable Construction Management Technology, Trades and Continuing Studies training. Visit: www.okanagan.bc.ca/campuses/Penticton-Campus.