Welland-native and top Knights athlete Natasha Desjardins was the official torchbearer for Niagara College in the Welland leg of the N22 Canada Games Torch Relay on July 10.

Born and raised in Welland right around the corner from Niagara College’s Welland Campus, there has been no greater honour for gifted Knights volleyball and soccer athlete Natasha Desjardins than carrying the Canada Games torch.

On Sunday, July 10, Desjardins and a group of prominent Wellanders carried the Roly McLenahan Torch as part of its 28,000 km journey from Ottawa to Niagara for the opening ceremonies of the Canada Summer Games on August 6.

“These games will bring the community together. It’s a big deal,” said Desjardins, team captain and reigning OCAA Women’s Volleyball Athlete of the Year/All Canadian, among other accolades. “I would have never imagined doing something like this in my life. With how much Niagara College means to me, it’s extremely cool to do this for the College.”

“This is such a unique moment for the NC community to witness the Canada Games torch being run past campus, especially because of our personal connection with Natasha who embodies the spirit of NC and all the values we hold dear in sport: leadership, dignity, competitiveness and determination. It’s truly heartwarming,” said Michele O’Keefe, Director, Athletics and Student Engagement.

Desjardins accepted the torch from City of Welland Councillors Bonnie Fokkens and Claudette Richard, and passed the torch to Susan Kitchen, former Executive Director of the Coaches Association of Ontario and a 2018 Welland Sports Wall of Fame inductee.

Desjardins was happy to share the experience with some of her biggest NC supporters – fellow Knights volleyball and soccer teammates. Rachel Looby, Maddie O’Brien, Rylan Greatrix, Jessica Hric, Abbey Gooder and Dakota Barisan ran alongside Desjardins for the symbolic one kilometer stretch along Niagara College Boulevard.

Desjardins and company looped around the front entrance of the Welland Campus on Sunday morning where they were greeted by friends and family – including her parents, brother and grandparents –  and NC supporters in blue, including President Sean Kennedy and O’Keefe, who nominated Desjardins for torchbearer.

Being torchbearer for this once-in-a-lifetime event is a defining moment for Desjardins who has such a strong love for her community. Years before she would excel on the court and in the classroom, she grew up on the stands at NC.

“I would come to campus to watch volleyball games with my mom and dad for fun. Coming full circle and becoming an NC athlete, I never would have expected to have the success I had, academically or athletically.”

The star athlete has competed with the Knights women’s volleyball team for four years and the women’s soccer team for one. She is a two-time OCAA West Division All Star, and was named a 2020 and 2022 OCAA Women’s Volleyball West Division First Team All Star.

Desjardins is a two-time CCAA Academic All Canadian and a four-time CCAA Scholar Athlete/OCAA Scholar Athlete, an award granted to athletes who maintain an average of 80 per cent or above.

Desjardins completed NC’s Educational Assistant (2022) and Fitness and Health Promotion (2020) programs and is about to embark on graduate studies in Autism and Behavioural Sciences in NC’s School of Community Services.

One of the high points of her NC story was working as an Educational Assistant at École Secondaire Catholique Saint-Jean-de-Brebeuf, the high school she attended and the one in which her parents work. The two-time NC graduate has dreams of working in education alongside her parents.

“My parents and older brother have without a doubt been my biggest supporters in the classroom and on the court/field. They have always been in my corner, and I am extremely thankful,” said Desjardins.

Fall 2022 will mark the start of her sixth year at NC, where, in addition to graduate studies, she plans to explore coaching through specialized clinics for women offered by the Athletics and Recreation Division.

While her NC journey is far from over, she says her experience thus far has exceeded her expectations.

“Better than imagined is the best way to put it … I am fortunate to have been surrounded by a lot of quality people who have had a positive and long-lasting impact on myself and my experience at the College. From my coaches to the athletic department, the broadcasting crew, the athletic therapists, the teachers, the teammates, and the list goes on.”

Niagara College offers more than 130 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs; as well as more than 600 credit, vocational and general interest Part-Time Studies courses. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, media, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, distilling, horticulture and esthetics. For more information visit niagaracollege.ca.