Ali Palmer can still remember the moment she tore her ACL and meniscus. It was September 6, 2014: the first game of her second season playing varsity soccer for the Sheridan Bruins.
“I still cringe thinking about that moment,” Ali says. “It was worse pain than I’d ever experienced up until that point.”
The next day, she found out that the injury was as bad as she feared. She would miss the whole season, and would require surgery. Still, Ali says the year wasn’t all bad, despite being on the bench for the first time in her life. “I still went to every practice and every game. I was still part of the team, and they were really supportive, especially when I had to go through the surgery. My closest friends from Sheridan are the girls that I played with. I just really felt like part of the school and the team.”
Ali graduated from the Early Childhood Education program last spring. She previously completed a degree at Brock University, but says she prefers Sheridan’s more hands-on, personal approach — and its experiential learning opportunities. “We did three different placements in the two years. My first two were in a daycare and the last one was with a kindergarten class. I’ve known for a long time that I want to work with children, but I’d say my internships were where I really got a feel for what I wanted to do.”
Ali is returning to Sheridan this fall to complete the Educational Support – Fast Track Intensive program. She knows the program will get her one step closer to the career she wants — and continuing her studies means she’ll have one last opportunity to play soccer at Sheridan.
“I can’t wait to be back on that field.”
