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<\/a>Lindsay Cline<\/p><\/div>\n
Beginning her educational journey at Brock in 2005 as an undergraduate student and athlete, Wednesday was the culmination of 12 years of her life.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrock has been a second home to me for over a decade. A huge chapter of my life is coming to a close,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m fortunate that it is ending on such a high point surrounded by family, friends and great mentors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cline initially came to Brock to play basketball, but after suffering an injury at the beginning of her third year, she realized she needed to take a step back and focus on her education.<\/p>\n
This new-found focus put her on a path that led to not only the highest academic degree a graduate student can achieve, but the highest grades, as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were definitely challenging moments that tested me, but getting this degree was my goal. So, I pushed through and I\u2019m really proud of how things have turned out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Cline acknowledges that being a graduate student felt isolating at times, but thanks to her family, her supervisor Kinesiology Associate Professor Kimberley Gammage, and a core group of fellow students, she found the support she needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was never the plan to stay and do three degrees at Brock, but one great experience kept rolling into another,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Cline said her PhD thesis, Mind over Matter: Exploring the Power of a Positive Body Image<\/em>, picked up where her Master\u2019s left off.<\/p>\n \u201cMy Master\u2019s looked at negative body image, but it was important for me to tell the whole story,\u201d she said. \u201cDoing a PhD afforded me that opportunity, with my defence being the experience that brought everything together.\u201d<\/p>\n While she has started to think about her next big adventure outside of academia, Cline enjoyed spending Wednesday celebrating with her family.<\/p>\n \u201cMy parents have been absolutely supportive of me throughout this whole experience. Brock has been such a big part of our lives, there was even a time when my younger sister, Michelle Cline (BA \u201912) and I were both completing degrees here.\u201d<\/p>\n Amongst the celebrations, Cline still finds herself missing one important person.<\/p>\n \u201cMy grandpa passed away just as I started my PhD and so he didn\u2019t get to see all of this. He instilled in me the importance of education by talking to me about success from a very young age,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was such an important influence that I dedicated my thesis to him.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout her PhD, Cline was the recipient of the SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship, as well as several Brock awards that highlight both qualities of academic excellence and leadership, including the Jack M. Miller Excellence in Research Award<\/a> and the Barb Daly Excellence & Student Leadership Award.<\/p>\n Cline was among six recipients of doctoral degrees awarded Wednesday by the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences. This is the largest number of PhD\u2019s awarded in one ceremony in the history of the Faculty.<\/p>\n The other awardees include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n