ETOBICOKE – Katie (Graham) Tobin left a lasting impact on the Humber Recreation Program, both as an athlete and as one of the first students to complete an academic internship within the department.

Tobin, a Bradford native, enrolled at Humber College in 2004 in the Law Clerk program and began playing on the extramural women’s hockey team in the same year.  When she wasn’t in the classroom, Tobin was keeping active on the ice with her teammates, a place that provided her with a sense of belonging and connection to the campus. 

During the start of Tobin’s playing experience at Humber, the women’s hockey program accounted for a third of the extramural programs running, and was coached by recent retiree, Jim Bialek, and current Facilities Coordinator, Rick Bot.  Tobin credits those coaches, and the opportunities that they provided through the hockey program with helping her to build self-confidence and character.  The team participated in a number of tournaments across the province, allowing team members to experience competition against other colleges.  

Tobin graduated from the Law clerk program in 2006, and returned to complete a second diploma program – this time in Recreation and Leisure Services.  Because of her playing experience with the women’s extramural hockey program, and the knowledge that she had acquired from her academic program, Tobin was quickly welcomed to the recreation staff team by Jennifer O’Reilly, a new hire in the role of Campus Recreation Coordinator.  Tobin first worked as an intramural official and as an event assistant alongside O’Reilly, and was named as one of the team leaders of the women’s hockey program by Bialek.  

Tobin applied to be an intern with the campus recreation department and became one of the first students to obtain academic credit and experiential learning within the recreation program.  As part of her internship, Tobin was a member of the Team Services group for the CCAA Men’s National Volleyball Championship, hosted at Humber.  Some of Tobin’s favourite memories from working the national event include seeing the reactions of the players during the welcome and accreditation process, assisting with banquet preparations and watching the national championship awards presented in the Humber gym. 

Tobin was able to develop hands on skills in officiating, customer service, scheduling and event management while in the office, and leadership, communication and teambuilding skills on the ice with the women’s hockey team.  The success of this first internship ultimately opened the door to other students to have the same opportunity in completing their internship within the campus recreation program.  To date, approximately 20 students, in high school and post-secondary education, have completed their internship or placement within Humber’s recreation programs. 

Prior to her graduation, at the annual recreation banquet, Tobin was presented with her hockey team jersey, for her four years of commitment and play, as well as the Award of Distinction for her contributions to the continuation and growth of women’s hockey on campus.  The women’s hockey program has continued to excel since Tobin’s time with the team, including increasing the number of players each year, improving skills, winning a number of tournaments, and hosting the OCCCR Women’s Hockey Challenge Cup in 2015.

Tobin is currently working in Information Services for the South Simcoe Police Department.  She is married to her husband, Jeremy, and resides in Barrie, Ontario.  The couple has three children, Jovie, Everleigh and Jeremy Jr and a Neapolitan Mastiff named June.  The entire family enjoys trailer camping during holidays, and traveling throughout Ontario.  Tobin hopes to continue playing recreational hockey and looks forward to coaching her children’s sports teams in the future.