Hello! My name is Keenen Degen. I was born and raised in Kamloops BC, which I would like to acknowledge is on the traditional and unceded lands of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc within Secwépemc’ulucw, the traditional territory of the Secwépemc people. I would also like to acknowledge that this has been a place where teaching and learning have taken place for thousands of years. I am beyond grateful to have been able to grow up on these lands and explore the breathtaking mountains, rivers, and nature that it contains

My main interests fall in the form of physical activity. I grew up playing basketball, volleyball, and soccer. I continued to play soccer for a few years at the university level during my undergrad degree. Being competitive has always been a part of who I am. In recent years, I have had a shift from constant sports to more outdoor activities. I love to hike, swim, and run outdoors. I especially like to go on backpacking trips in the mountains or on the Westcoast. I deeply believe in the importance of physical literacy and finding a way to move your body that makes you happy. I cannot wait to share this love and find ways to inspire my students to stay mentally and physically healthy.

On a backpacking trip at Trophy Mountain in BC.
Womens Provincal finals back in 2015.

Throughout my elementary and high school education, I have had endless numbers of teachers that I have made really strong connections with. When I was in high school playing sports and being coached and taught by my teachers I started to think about becoming a teacher myself. I loved the way that they were able to share their passions and strengths with me. But when I graduated high school I still had not finalized what I wanted to be in the future.

I signed on to play for the Wolfpack Women’s Soccer Team when I was in grade 11 so I knew that TRU would be where I take my undergrad. My favorite subjects in high school (other the PE) was biology, chemistry, and calculus, so I decided to enroll in a science degree. Entering my undergrad, I didn’t really know where I wanted it to take me but I just knew that I wanted to explore the world of science. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in 2021. I majored in Ecology and Environmental Biology and I truly loved spending all my time learning about how nature is related to each other and functions interdependently. However, during my degree, it became very clear to me that I did not have a passion for reading and writing academic papers on repeat. Therefore, I needed to find a career that involves science but is not scientific research-dominated.

This picture was taken on Environmental biology field trip near Cultus lake. It is a Northwestern Salamandar.
This picture was also taken near cultus lake. I was very happy to be out in the rain looking at plants and animals.

Throughout my undergrad, I had the opportunity to work running After School Programs for SD73. I have run soccer programs at various schools around Kamloops and it has been what has inspired me to take my original idea of becoming a teacher into reality. I loved sharing my knowledge about soccer with the students. I also loved the simple day-to-day conversations that I had the opportunity to have. Making connections is what really made me want to take the next step to become a teacher.

Here I am showing a student how to properly through a ball in at a ASSAI program.

Some other things about me are that I love to paint and all my paintings have to involve bright colors. My favorite season is the summer and I often find myself daydreaming about it during any other time of the year. I am constantly trying to find the sun wherever I go. I love gastropods, especially slugs. And lastly, I have a three-year-old standard poodle named Gus who is ridiculously cute.

Found some friends while Backpacking the West Coast Trail.
This is my Standard Poodle Gus.

I am excited to share my passions with my future students and more importantly to learn about their passions.