Stefanie Reid is a lot of things. Three- time Paralympic medalist. Five-time world record holder. TV sports commentator. London Fashion Week model. A loving wife.
She is also a proud Queen’s alumna. She graduated from Queen’s in 2006 with a degree in Life Sciences.
Her track career got its start at Queen’s when Ms. Reid said coaches “looked past the very unfit teenager with one leg and saw what I might be able to do.” Today she represents Great Britain at international track events. At the Rio Paralympic Games, she captured her country’s first medal, winning silver in the T44 long jump.
Queen’s alumni in London, UK will get the chance to meet Ms. Reid on Nov. 10 and hear her inspiring story. A Tricolour Reception with Ms. Reid and Principal Daniel Woolf takes place at Canada House in Trafalgar Square.
Ms. Reid took time out of her busy schedule to reflect on her athletic career and her time at Queen’s.
Question: What was your inspiration going into Rio 2016?
Answer: The inspiration is always the same: to fight well when it counts. The life of an athlete can be quite selfish – winning margins are so small, so you have to structure your life to optimize performance. I want to make sure that when the moment comes, I deliver something my team and my family can be proud of.
Question: What does it mean for you to connect with alumni at the UK event on Nov. 10?
Answer: It's like sitting in your car, belting out Whitney Houston on the radio, and you realize that the person in the car beside you is doing the exact same thing and suddenly you are smiling and laughing with a complete stranger. As alumni, we are all bonded by a shared history and the responsibility of a shared legacy.
Question: What inspired you to give back to Queen’s University and attend the event?
Answer: I was really touched when London Branch President Naaznin Adatia-Hirst reached out to encourage me before Rio 2016, and let me know I would have some local support in London. Many aspects of training are quite lonely and draining. It is things like this that can refresh you and help you to see what you do through a different lens.
Question: How do you represent Queen’s on an international level? Do you have any Queen’s gear that is lucky? How is Queen’s with you every day?
Answer: My athletics career started at Queen's. It started with Wayne Bulak, the sprints coach who looked past the very unfit teenager with one leg and saw what I might be able to do. I came to Queen's wanting to be a heart surgeon. Ten years later, I am a professional athlete. Queen's is a campus of possibility!
Question: What do you think makes the university a special place?
Answer: The people. I took for granted the fact that I got to learn, work with, eat lunch with, work out with some of the most creative, talented, driven people in the world. It is this amazing world that constantly challenges you to be the best version of yourself.
Question: What career advice would you give to young alumni?
Answer: If it scares you, then definitely say yes! Get into the habit of saying yes to opportunity, responsibility, and new pressure.
