Student realized two dreams at Mac – play varsity soccer and join a research lab

Joelle Chackal’s best day at McMaster was pitch perfect.

The Life Sciences student celebrated her 19^th birthday by scoring a goal in her debut with the women’s soccer team – the Mauraders routed the Algoma Thunderbirds 5-0.

“Stepping onto the field and proudly wearing the McMaster jersey for the first time was already so exciting,” says Joelle. “Scoring my first goal as a Marauder and then celebrating a great team victory made it even more memorable. It was the best birthday gift I could’ve ever asked for and I’ll remember that day at Mac forever.”

Joelle was five years old when she started playing soccer in Ottawa – being recruited by a varsity team had long been her dream. She’d received multiple offers, with McMaster and another university as her top two choices. She spent a day with each soccer team. “Mac was way more welcoming, friendly and homey.” She also fell in love with the campus and McMaster’s sense of community. “I immediately felt at home which is exactly what I needed if I was going to be so far away from my family for the next four years.”

Joelle joined the Marauders after winning a national title and making history with the Ottawa TFC Soccer Club – Eastern Ontario’s first-ever national soccer champions at the top youth level. She’d have to wait a year to play her first varsity game – the 2020 season was cancelled due to the pandemic. Joelle would go on to play in 27 games over three seasons as a forward, notching six goals and four assists.

Away from the beautiful game, Joelle realized a second dream when she joined Dean Maureen MacDonald’s Vascular Dynamics Lab in the Department of Kinesiology. “Being involved in research had been a goal of mine throughout undergrad. I’ve had countless special research opportunities during my time at Mac. The one achievement that stands out from all the rest is running my own research project – writing, presenting and successfully completing my independent thesis.”

Her fourth-year research project focused on examining the effect of hormonal contraceptives containing levonorgestrel on heart rate variability in healthy premenopausal women. Joelle got to present her research at conferences throughout the year and connect with leading experts in the field.

From her first proposal presentation during a lab meeting to her final thesis presentation, Joelle says she received a ton of support and guidance. “That definitely helped me become the student I am today.”

Graduate supervisor Jenna Stone is Joelle’s MVP. “Jenna deserves a huge shout-out for being such an incredible mentor thoughout my final year of undergrad. I owe so much of my success to her unconditional support. She always made herself available to answer my questions and routinely checked in to make sure I was on the right track. I’ll be forever grateful for the impact she had on me and my project.”

Joelle’s been an all-star addition to the lab and the consummate labmate, says Maureen. “She helped gather the undergraduate students together into a team.” And Joelle’s enthusiasm for communicating research and making presentations inspired other students to follow her lead.

Her labmates would even follow Joelle to Ron Joyce Stadium for her soccer matches. Maureen, who played varsity soccer and won a national championship with Acadia, also joined Joelle’s cheering section.

Joelle only found out about Maureen’s playing days during a symposium held seven months after joining the Vascular Dynamics Lab. “I was sitting in the crowd listening to Maureen talk about her lab when she mentioned in passing that she had played soccer. I was absolutely shocked.”

Maureen says not talking about soccer had been a deliberate face-saving decision. “My playing days felt like they’d happened 1,000 years ago and I was nervous I’d have to prove it on the field.”

Joelle is staying on with the Vascular Dynamics Lab through the summer as a research student. She’ll help with ongoing research projects and continue gathering even more data for her own project. In the fall, she’ll be a graduate student in the Mary Heersink Program in Global Health with plans for dentistry school after that.

Her first impression of Mac held true through her four years of undergrad on and off the field. “You can effortlessly strike up a conversation with any other student anytime and anywhere on campus. The warm and inclusive atmosphere is like no other.”