Program manager is “the heart of PACE and the steady force behind all that we do”

Angelica McQuarrie didn’t want to go back to Mac. 

She was supposed to be having fun at a summer sports camp but wound up getting hopelessly lost with a counsellor in the basement of the Ivor Wynne Centre. That experience was far from fun. 

“A little bit traumatizing for an 8-year-old,” says McQuarrie. She went home in a huff and announced she was done with McMaster. It was a one-night boycott – her mom gave her a hug and dropped her off at camp the next morning. 

McQuarrie would return to McMaster to earn a Honours Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a minor in Psychology and then a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Science. 

Immediately after graduation, she launched her career working at the Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE), located in the same building where she once got lost as a kid – luckily it’s on the main floor and not the basement. “I was destined to never leave.” 

PACE aspires to be the preeminent Canadian site for excellence and leadership in research, education, evidence-based practice, community engagement and knowledge translation regarding the use of physical activity to improve health and well-being. Put another way, PACE brings teaching and learning, research and community engagement together under one roof. There’s no other place like it on campus. 

McQuarrie’s played a key role in making that happen by working as student program assistant and volunteer coordinator, a registered kinesiologist and program coordinator. She is now the centre’s program manager.  

Kinesiology professor Jennifer Heisz – PACE’s director and Canada Research Chair in Brain Health and Aging – gives McQuarrie one other title.  

“Angelica is the heart of PACE and the steady force behind all that we do. She brings wisdom, care and an extraordinary sense of purpose to her work and to everyone around her. 

“What makes Angelica so remarkable is the way she combines excellence with humility and leadership with genuine kindness. She is an exceptional mentor to the many students who come through PACE each year. She knows our members by name, and she creates the kind of community where people feel they belong. 

“PACE simply would not be what it is today without Angelica.” 

How do you describe PACE to people who don’t yet know about the centre? 

We transform lives by helping people set and then achieve their health and fitness goals.  

We have more than 500 community members enrolled in six evidence-informed exercise programs. We have programs for seniors, cancer survivors and for people living with Multiple Sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and heart disease. We’ve also added an exercise program designed specifically for children experiencing disabilities. Along with our individualized exercise programs, we offer physiotherapy and kinesiology services. 

Our programs are unique and we have specialized equipment in our two gyms that that you won’t find at traditional fitness centres. We’re filling a real need – community members tell us they don’t know where they’d go if PACE didn’t exist. 

We have an incredible team of staff, students and faculty who understand the challenges faced by our community members. Over the course of a year, the student volunteers in PACE contribute more than 30,000 hours of service. PACE is a living lab where they get to apply what they’re learning in their courses. They’re also constantly learning from our community members – they have a lot of wisdom to share and different perspectives to offer. 

Community members also take part in research studies and clinical trials led by professors, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students in the Department of Kinesiology and from across McMaster. PACE actually grew out of research studies – participants wanted to keep working out together and faculty found a way to make that happen.  

It’s a pretty remarkable place with a sense of community you won’t find anywhere else.  

Let’s start at the beginning. How did you get involved with PACE? 

My uncle and aunt were community members. My uncle was with MacTurtles – it’s now the MacCardiac Rehabilitation Program. My aunt joined PACE to keep my uncle on track. She’d lost her vision due to complications from Type 1 diabetes. During my first year of undergrad, I’d drop in between classes to help out my aunt with her workouts. 

I knew right away that PACE was special. I watched how students and staff interacted with my uncle, aunt and all the community members. Here was an opportunity to put into practice what I was learning in lectures and labs and make a real difference in people’s lives. What I didn’t realize at the time was just how much I would learn from community members. They’re a constant source of inspiration. 

I became a student volunteer in 2008 and continued to work at PACE through McMaster’s Work Study program. After graduation, I had the opportunity to move into full-time roles. 

You’re currently the program manager for PACE. I imagine there’s a lot to manage with hundreds of community members, hundreds of students and a team staff. 

PACE is made up of a whole lot of moving parts. Whether on the frontlines or working behind-the-scenes, everyone at PACE plays a vital role and goes the extra distance to make PACE run. My job is to oversee day-to-day operations and make sure all the parts keep moving smoothly. It’s a lot of work but I get to spend my days working with inspiring community members, all-star students, dedicated staff, faculty and researchers and truly exceptional mentors.  I’m still here after all these years because of the people.  

You talk about students learning from community members. What have you learned?  

The informal, intergenerational learning that happens every single day at PACE has had a profound impact. I realized that you’ll learn a lot when you make the time to get to know and really listen to our community members. They have so much lived experience. Despite the challenges they face, they’re among the most positive, optimistic and resilient people I know. Like our students and staff, they genuinely want to be here and we all look out for each other.  

Community members have shown me that improvement is individual and progress is different for everyone. Don’t compare yourself to what others are achieving – just aim to be a slightly better version of yourself today than you were yesterday. And enjoy each other’s company. 

Not to put you on the spot but what’s been your favourite moment with a community member?

There are lots of interactions and people that come to mind but here’s one of the standouts. Our oldest community member was John Nagy. John lived to be 105 years old. He passed away in 2023. He was part of our morning exercise crew. John was unbelievably dedicated to staying active and had a heck of a sense of humour. One winter day we were considering a snow closure – John was the only participant to come in all day. And he had walked from his home to Mac. We celebrated John’s birthday every year at PACE. We came up with a 101 Dalmatians theme for his 101^st birthday celebration. I dressed up as Cruella de Vil.

Describe your best day at PACE. 

My best day happens every year with our PACE Charity Gala at Liuna Station. It’s far more than a fundraiser to support our programs. The gala brings together our community members, students, staff, faculty, friends and family for an unforgettable night of celebration. We also get to dress up in something other than gym clothes. The highlight of the gala is always the community members and students who deliver heartfelt and inspiring speeches. They remind us that we’re making a difference, sometimes in ways that we don’t see or fully appreciate. 

Describe your most challenging day. 

Those days happens just before the start of the fall, winter and spring / summer terms when we’re recruiting students.  We have 150 volunteer spots and no more than 5 student staff positions available each term yet far more students apply – these are highly sought after positions. You want to give an opportunity to every student who applies because you know it’s going to be transformative. It definitely was for me and I owe my career to getting involved in PACE as a student. So telling a student they weren’t selected is a really hard conversation. The good news is there are always spots opening up as students graduate or need to step away for school, work or family commitments. 

So do you still get lost in the Ivor Wynne Centre? 

It’s a pretty confusing building but I’ve figured it out after being here for nearly 20 years. I didn’t imagine being here when I was 8 years old but there’s nowhere else I’d rather be and no other group of people I’d rather spend my days with.