02Alumni / Sport2026-09-16

A life beyond the rink

For Kristin O’Neill, graduate study created room for another kind of ambition.

Reported by Emily Ysselstein, Faculty of Arts

AlumniKristin O’Neill in training and with her parents at convocation.Photo: Source: University of Waterloo; see original article for photo credits.

Kristin O’Neill (MASc ’24) combined elite hockey with graduate study in psychology at Waterloo. Her work on child development and language helped shape an interest in speech pathology, a field she plans to pursue after hockey.

The university profile traces the support that made this possible, including flexibility as her professional career moved to Montreal. She later made Canada’s 2026 Olympic team and recently signed with San Jose. Her academic life provided a separate source of purpose during an uncertain sporting career.

Sources 1

Original reporting · uwaterloo.ca

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