Wesmen basketball player and Rhetoric, Writing, and Communications student, Donald Stewart, is using his time at UWinnipeg to explore careers both on and off the court.
“I always loved basketball since the time I was a little kid,” Stewart said. “I remember going to Wesmen camp as a kid and I grew up watching Wesmen games and Manitoba Bison games, so I knew I really wanted to play at the university level.”
Stewart said he had to work hard to earn his spot on the Men’s Wesmen basketball team.
The relationships with professors has been the most special thing to me so far and I’m very lucky I got to do my undergrad at UW.
Donald Stewart
“For the first two years it was a lot of practice, a lot of working out, a lot of preparing for the time I finally would play, and learning from guys above me,” he said. “I was really lucky to have teammates that were all there for me.
“I give a lot of credit to all my coaches, because they kept saying ‘Keep working. Keep your head down. Your time is coming.’”
Hard work reaps rewards
Now, Stewart is a starting player for the Wesmen team, and is even working this summer as a practice player for the Winnipeg Sea Bears.
“Getting the experience of what being a pro athlete is was not something I ever expected to do at home,” Stewart said. “Getting the chance to meet all these guys and go through the summer with them has been really, really cool.”
Basketball isn’t the only experience Stewart has gained since he started at UWinnipeg. Last summer, Stewart was the recipient of a Vince Leah sports writing scholarship, including an internship at the Winnipeg Free Press.
“I got to be a sports writer for the summer,” Stewart said. “I think my writing improved significantly over the summer, how I approach interviews, and how to craft a story or find a story within a game. I’m very, very grateful for that experience, and after university I would love to work in that industry.”
Stewart said he appreciates the relationships he’s built at UWinnipeg and how accommodating his professors have been about his schedule with the Wesmen.
“The relationships with professors has been the most special thing to me so far,” he said. “I think that smaller classes, along with professors who encourage you to speak up, that’s been really valuable to me, and I’m very lucky I got to do my undergrad at UW.”
