Megan Dyck, a first-year Health Studies student, has received the 2020-21 Dr. Douglas Snyder Alumni Athletic Excellence Award, valued at $2,000. This fund is supported by University of Waterloo alumnus Doug Snyder and recognizes one exceptional student athlete from a health-related program during the fall term.
“As a first-year who has never been to a class or played a game, it was cool that I was being recognized as a part of the community,” Dyck said. “It’s also amazing to be in touch with a retired physician who worked here for so long, and I’m really excited to see the opportunities that come from that.”
Dyck’s interest in health care began at a young age, as she wanted to become a doctor and loved science in school. After losing a close family friend to cancer, she began volunteering for cancer fundraisers in her hometown of Victoria, B.C. and became interested in the cancer field.
At just 13 years of age, Dyck raised almost $2,100 and shaved her head to show solidarity with those who had lost their hair due to cancer treatments. After losing another family member to cancer in tenth grade, Dyck decided that she wanted to work directly in the cancer field and began considering a career in oncology.
During her senior year of high school, she began volunteering once a week at her local hospital to develop her interest in health care. Hoping to get exposure to play the sport she loved and pursue her dream career, Dyck travelled from Victoria to Vancouver every weekend to play Junior Women’s Hockey.
Aside from her personal community involvement within her hometown, Dyck and her hockey team were also contributing to the Richmond community, where they volunteered as a team at food banks and a local social services organization.
Dyck was recruited by the University of Waterloo the summer before her senior year of high school and committed to the Varsity Women’s Hockey team. Since moving to Waterloo last September, Dyck has continued to volunteer virtually for her hometown hospital as a youth volunteer advisor, and regularly connects with her faith through her childhood church’s weekly online service.
“I am very thankful for being on my hockey team because that is my sense of community right now,” Dyck said.
As an active member of the campus and the Waterloo community, Dyck works as a customer-service representative at Columbia Ice Field and coaches development girl’s hockey through the university and the Rookie Ravens program.