Amplifying Voices: Toronto Varsity Blues Alex Lin
The OUA Amplifying Voices Series will share the stories, the efforts, and the impacts of the OUA's champions of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), from those who have earned conference awards within their respective sport to those who continue to make a difference within their team, their campus, and their community.
Burlington, Ont. (David DiCenzo) - Alex Lin was in his second year at the University of Toronto when he noticed a troubling trend. The Toronto native, a goalkeeper on the Varsity Blues’ men’s soccer team, was an invested member of the university’s BIPOC Varsity Association. The group was founded in 2020, following the death of George Floyd and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement.
But the BVA’s original members were graduating and moving on to their lives beyond U of T, leaving a void that Lin was determined to fill.
“I remember in my second year we had a social event and only six people showed up,” says Lin, a fourth-year Life Sciences major. “It was a good group and the six of us were happy to be there, but we knew that this wasn't what the founders envisioned when the group started.
“There just weren’t enough younger members to take their place. But in my third year, (varsity football player) Jared Currie and I became co-chairs – and we really pushed to reinvigorate the movement.”
Lin, a recipient of the Ontario University Athletics Champion of EDI Award, has loved being part of the BVA and increasing awareness of the group. He and Currie had a plan, beginning with visits to all the University’s varsity teams practices to start a dialogue about the BVA. A sign-up sheet helped new members stay informed of events, and the association’s Instagram feed (@bvautoronto) helped athletes connect at an entirely new level.
The BVA’s first event of that school year was a huge success. Lin quantified the turnout in merch.
“We would count by how many t-shirts we gave out,” he says. “There were over 40 people that night.”
Lin was raised in a diverse Toronto household. He refers to himself as “tri-racial,” with a Chinese father from Montreal, and a mother of both French-Canadian and Jamaican heritage. Those distinct roots gave him an early appreciation of different cultural experiences and a natural sense of his own identity.
“I would speak English with my dad and then turn around and speak French with my mom,” says Lin, who also has three siblings and a beloved Golden Retriever, Cooper. “Then it would be French with one of my mom's parents and English with the other. The easiest example for me is food. We would have meals that would include food with all three distinct backgrounds.”
Lin was a youth hockey player but eventually gravitated towards his “summer sport.” He credits a specific match in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil for helping him make the permanent switch.
“I watched (USA goalkeeper) Tim Howard make 16 saves against Belgium, which was a record at the time,” says Lin. “I was 10 years old and just seeing all those saves I was really interested in what that position was all about.”
By 14, he was playing competitively. Lin suited up for his local Toronto High Park FC side and continued to climb the soccer ladder with stops at SC Toronto, and into the Ontario Player Development League.
The University of Toronto ended up being a perfect destination that gave Lin the opportunity to play meaningful soccer and participate in an academic program he loved. He focuses on human biology and nutritional sciences, with plans to attend medical school. Lin’s goal is to be a team physician for a professional sports team.
He joined the BVA in his first week at U of T.
“They did a call out on Instagram trying to get some interest and I was able to join right away,” Lin says. “It was great for me because it was a group of like-minded athletes who even though they all came from different backgrounds, different sports, different cities, and even different countries, we all shared some similar experiences as people of colour who were often underrepresented in their sport. We understood each other.”
“My graduating high school class had less than 100 people and the entire school was under 500 students. I got to my first class at U of T, first year calculus, and there were over 500 people in the auditorium. Transitioning from high school to university was made a lot easier not only through my soccer team, but also because of the BVA. There were older athletes that you looked up to and could get advice from.”
Lin has embraced his role as one of the older mentors. Now in his final semester of school, he is ready to move on. But with his work, the BVA has a much more solid foundation, positioned to sustain and thrive, without the worry of a declining interest.
The group is in a better place than it was a few years ago. There is established annual programming, including: Black History Month events, a Future Black Applicant Day, Indigenous Education Week, and events for the LGBTQ+ plus community. Social gatherings, likes Snacks and Chats, are scheduled every one to two months to strengthen the members’ bond. An elected chair, vice-chair, and two additional executive members will form a leadership team to help lead the BVA into the future with a viable succession plan. The group also has the support of the university’s EDI office, creating more opportunities. A BVA Mentorship Night gives current student-athletes the chance to communicate with former alumni, a role Lin is happy to embrace when he graduates.
Most importantly, the BVA is committed to creating a culture where BIPOC-identifying student athletes feel welcomed at the University of Toronto. Lin recognizes that the Champion of EDI Award was a product of the work he and the entire team accomplished, with a nod to those who came before them.
“When I came here, the BVA made me feel welcome,” says Lin. “I wanted to give back to those incoming young, racialized student-athletes at the university, especially those who are going to sports where they are often the only Black player on their team or the only Asian player on their team, those who might be a little more isolated in their sport. If it's a predominately white sport, that's who I want the BVA to be there for, to give them the opportunity to connect with others coming from similar situations.”
“Building that community is what I'm most passionate about. We want to foster a family and provide a safe space.”
