Student Spotlight - Cole Giffin
(August 9, 2023) - Originally from Kingston Ontario, Cole Giffin started his journey at Laurentian University nearly a decade ago and is now well on his way to graduating and obtaining his PhD this year - “all of it at Laurentian.”.
Cole expressed feeling drawn to Laurentian University for not only the undergraduate degree in Sports Psychology but for the nature and outdoor activities that are available year-round in Sudbury. “I think you have to learn how to enjoy the winter which I’m very thankful Sudbury has taught me that.”
Moving away from home for the first time, “I wasn’t expecting Laurentian to be so valuable in terms of the friendships that I’ve made, I just got back from another little get together with the people I met a decade ago who live nearby, there’s just so many positive attributes that Laurentian can foster if you’re open to those experiences.”
Cole has been an active member of the Laurentian community over the last decade in numerous ways; Cole is a student, a Voyageur athlete, a mentor, a coach, a researcher, a teacher and a friend.
Motivated by his dream to work with athletes, Cole decided to speak with Dr. Robert Schinke, one of his undergraduate professors, about his next steps following his undergrad. Their conversation led to Cole undertaking both a Masters and a PhD under Dr. Schinke’s supervision. Dr. Schinke proudly describes Cole as “one of those exceptional PhD students able to lead other graduate students in the lab, converse with the highest levels of sport, such as the International Olympic Committee, teach students, garner Tri-Council funding, and author in leading impact factor journals. His reputation is expanding rapidly on the international front. He is what I believe to be the next generation of leading international sport psychology consultants. He is approachable, inquisitive, collaborative, and of the highest character. He is a testament to this university, having been nurtured from the under-graduate level through his doctorate, and he will represent us well on the world stage.”
Although it isn’t to say that Cole’s great success over the years came easy. Around his 3rd year, Cole describes having “an internal turning point where I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it and I still wanted to work with athletes but I didn't know what I had to do to get there, so I just thought I better get really good grades and show whoever it is that I’m gonna have to prove that I can work with athletes and show them that I’m disciplined enough to do that.” He stated further that his undergraduate degree acted as a “self-discovery phase” and that “it’s up to you to either follow the path or carve a new one. You’ll meet people who are willing to help guide you and you just have to trust that they’re looking out for you. If they’ve been there before, they have a pretty good idea on how to get there.”
It was during this time of self-reflection that Cole initially met Dr. Schinke. “He’s really inspiring, he’s worked with athletes so he’s sort of been a mentor reaffirming that you always have that ability to be whoever you want to be. You have to have a vision of who you want to be.” He continued to state that: “I think some undergrads don’t understand the level of research that goes on at Laurentian and it’s important to realize that there’s some world-class scientists at Laurentian. Find them and get to know them, you’ll have your path sort of carved for you if you’re willing to put in the work!”
Reflecting on the first few years of his undergraduate degree, Cole expressed that it is important to be able to forgive yourself. “I’m able to look back on my past and connect the dots and say …even though you were hard on yourself here, forgive yourself for that because look at where you are now”. That’s where that growth comes in because now you’re teaching yourself what you have to do to get where you want to be.”
“I think for students coming in, it’s important to find ways to connect with other students. I was very fortunate because I connected with other players on the soccer team and I really connected with my floor in residence. Try and get out of your comfort zone and try and connect; either with your floormates or intramurals.”
“Set a goal for yourself. Move forward in some way and don’t be afraid to look back at your past and realize; I’m here because of my past.”
In analyzing his acquired knowledge throughout his studies and research, Cole’s end goal is to be able to “have my science inform my practice and my practice inform my science. From there, create research that’s not just these big theoretical ideas but ideas that are coming from athletes that I can actually apply with athletes. That way, I can teach other practitioners how to apply this with athletes. The practitioner and the researcher go hand-in-hand”
Being passionate about soccer from such a young age, Cole remembers being “immediately welcomed by the soccer team” upon tryouts and making the team in his first year of university. Cole has now been working with the Laurentian men's soccer team as a Sports Psychology Consultant for 6 years’. Using what he’s learned throughout his degrees to help support the current team. “To put this into perspective, we have 6 coaches on the soccer team helping out. They all graduated from Laurentian and were a part of the soccer program. That makes us different from other teams I’ve seen…” Cole expressed that part of his motivation to coach the team is to help “fill the gaps” and improve the team from when he was a student and a player on the team. His volunteer hours working with both the men’s soccer team and the women’s basketball team has helped him to put his studies into practice as well as collect enough hours to apply to become a certified Sports Psychology Consultant.
“Soccer is the number one reason why I’m at Laurentian and the number one reason why I’m still here. Everything gravitates around soccer.” Once graduated Cole expresses wanting to continue to work with the Voyageurs soccer team at Laurentian for as long as he can. “They’ve coached me and now I’m coaching with them. I'd love to continue those connections with the athletics department.”
One of Cole's future goals include moving to the UK to pursue his career with a football (soccer) team. “I think it would be cool to start at a 8th or a 9th division team and then over my career see if we can get to the top position.”
“The Laurentian University community will forever be in my heart.”