Each Thursday, varsityblues.ca will highlight a U of T student-athlete and their academic pursuits. Each of these students achieved first class honours with an AGPA of at least 3.50 in the previous academic year. These are our Student-Athlete Stories, presented by Egg Farmers of Ontario.

Enjoying the outdoors can be a very therapeutic experience. The beauty and serenity can ease anxiety and help refill gratefulness for those that need it most. 

For Varsity Blues football player Adam Kinney, this is something worth protecting.  

The Environmental Geography major and Human Geography/History minor has always had a love of the outdoors, built through his family experiences in the wilderness. This is what drove him into his field of study, where he could learn more about those aspects of nature that needed protecting the most. 

"I chose my field of study based on my family's academic background in geography and environmental sciences," began Kinney. "Growing up, my parents were always trying to find ways to show me and my siblings the different aspects of geography through camping trips and random facts. And then when I got to U of T I did not know exactly what I wanted to specialize in, but I really enjoyed a course in Geomorphology and did really well in the class. It widened my scope on how intertwined the earth's environment is with humanity and highlighted the importance of proper environmental management." 

Along with maintaining the rigorous demands that comes with being a student at the University of Toronto, Kinney also remained committed to his sport. As a member of the Varsity Blues football team since 2020, he has been able to experience a few of the program highs in recent years. 

"I came to U of T because it was a school with a rich history and a longstanding presence in Canadian football. So being part of teams that were able to make playoffs for the first time since the 1990's has been one of my favourite Varsity Blues memories. Those years our team achieved a goal that most doubted we could accomplish, and it took a lot of dedication and adversity to happen." 

While specialization within his program took some time to determine, Kinney's commitment to his studies was as immediate as his commitment to his team. From the very moment he set foot on the U of T campus and on the turf at Varsity Stadium, he had a goal in mind of excelling not just within his sport, but academically. 

"When I first enrolled at U of T I had a goal to graduate with honours, and then when I found out there was an award dedicated to making honour roll for athletes, I had another motivation. When I achieved U SPORTS academic all-Canadian status, I was very happy and felt a lot of pride knowing that I was pursuing the best in both athletics and academic at a world class university." 

Now a two-time U SPORTS academic all-Canadian, Kinney has an eye on the future and where he will be able to serve his goals of protecting the environment in the best he can. 

"I would like to work as a conservation officer. Being able to apply my knowledge of the environment into protecting it is something that my program has really swayed me towards. Being outdoors and protecting wildlife is something that really interested me as I can protect nature so future generations can experience its beauty."