Kelsey Loeun is a Linguistics student and a member of the SFU Women’s Wrestling team. Kelsey’s six-days-a-week training schedule consists of wrestling, lifting and running, while also making time to be an active volunteer in the community. Last summer, she started volunteering to teach English to newcomers through the Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society.   

Currently, Kelsey’s favourite areas of linguistics are language acquisition and sociolinguistics. She is also working towards a certificate in Spanish Studies. 

Please tell us about how your journey at Simon Fraser University began. 

Prior to SFU, I was a high school athlete in the U.S. who wanted to compete at the next level. I looked up to many NCAA athletes who had come through SFU, and once I visited the campus, I knew it was where I wanted to be. 

I fell in love not only with Vancouver’s beauty and diversity, but also how SFU balances strong academics with competitive athletics. 

What is it like to be a student athlete at SFU? 

One of the biggest challenges of being a collegiate student-athlete has been preparing for life after university. Wrestling takes so much time and energy that it can feel like I’m a few steps behind my peers who focus solely on academics. 

Yet I’ve been lucky to have incredible professors and advisors who’ve supported me in not only my academic path but my future career.

The highlight has definitely been my team. The girls I wrestle with have become my sisters — we push each other in the wrestling room, but we also keep each other accountable in school. When we’re not wrestling, we’re almost always studying over coffee at Tim Hortons. 

What sparked your interest in sociolinguistics? 

My interest in sociolinguistics actually started unexpectedly. I took Language, Culture and Society (LING 160) with professor Suzanne Hilgendorf mainly to meet a requirement for my Spanish Studies certificate. As a fourth-year student in a 100-level course, I’ll admit that I wasn’t very invested at first. 

But as we explored how language reflects culture and identity, I saw connections to my own experiences growing up in a mixed ethnic background. It made me realize how language isn’t just communication — it’s also a reflection of our identities. 

Where does your motivation come from and what drives you to push forward?

I’m motivated by the process of growth. Wrestling teaches me to stay focused when things get tough, and academics give me the challenge to apply that same persistence mentally. 

I’ve been learning to value progress over perfection. That mindset has kept me motivated in more ways than just as a student athlete.