Issue link: https://publications.tfs.ca/i/1491681
M arie-Michelle grew up in a family that loved sport and was introduced to rhythmic gymnastics when she was just three years old. She began to focus more on dance while at TFS and joined the school's gymnastics team and the sports aerobics team. She spent every possible moment she could in the school's gym. For the young student-athlete who found her identity in sport, winning the S.W. Karrys Family Scholarship was deeply gratifying, validating the choices she had made over the years and the values she embraces. Today, Marie-Michelle's life epitomizes what the Karrys award celebrates — the harmonious balancing of athletics and academics. Having received her BA and MA from McGill University, she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in school/applied child psychology at McGill, researching the impact of school sports on the positive development of children and youth. When the COVID-19 lockdown made the collection of data for her doctoral thesis unfeasible, Marie-Michelle asked herself an important question: How has this crisis impacted the social-emotional well-being of children who are suddenly no longer able to play sports? Recasting her focus will allow her to measure the impact of this new reality on our athletes, their parents and coaches. Marie-Michelle is also the co-founder of a sports-focused research and consulting firm, Elite NeuroKinetix. The firm's mission is to help athletes become better and safer players through improved training practices. In January 2020, Elite NeuroKinetix and Football Canada announced a partnership agreement. As an official partner, the firm will work with Football Canada, as well as provincial and local governing bodies, to bring its expertise in injury-prevention, research and athlete development directly to amateur football athletes. With her interest in therapy, and firmly believing in the concept of mens sana in corpore sano (a healthy mind in a healthy body), Marie-Michelle plans to have her own holistic community practice eventually, where people will be able to take care of both their minds and their bodies. " I feel I continue to carry the spirit of the Karrys award. I don't know any other way to live." MARIE-MICHELLE BOULANGER '07 Ph.D. Candidate, McGill University Montreal, QC MARIE-MICHELLE The S.W. Karrys Family Scholarship Impact Report 25