For Michener ultrasound student Mackenzie Lau, a lifelong passion for dance and sport felt like a natural progression into healthcare. A dancer since the age of 3, she understands the importance of care and maintenance of the body.

“In high school, when I first took a kinesiology course and learned about anatomy, physiology and biomechanics, it unlocked this love of science and biology for me,” says Mackenzie. “It was a study of the body, which as a dancer is like my instrument – in a way.”

“I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do for my career, but I knew I wanted it to be in rehabilitation healthcare.”

Mackenzie kept both pursuits in focus, competing in competitive dance as she followed her interests in health science. While attending the University of Guelph-Humber for Kinesiology, she joined the Guelph-Humber competitive dance team – until the pandemic brought competitions to a halt.

“I initially thought that might have served as a natural stop,” she says, but the allure of dance remained. She would successfully audition and make the JForce dance team with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“I’ve always wanted to do some sort of sports commercial dance, because I do love sports. Being able to be a part of it – not just as a fan, but as something more – always appealed to me,” she says.

While Mackenzie says she loved her time with the Jays and made many good friends, working 81 games each season – in combination with her studies – became too large of a time commitment. After two seasons she had to step away.

However, following that experience she successfully auditioned and joined the Toronto Argonauts cheerleading team, a role she has maintained over the past two years. This fall, she was also selected to join the Toronto Raptors dance team, the North Side Crew.

For Mackenzie, it’s all been a little surreal.

“I’ve been a Blue Jays fan my entire life, when I was younger attending Argos games I fell in love with football cheerleaders, and I love basketball but thought dancing with the Raptors was so unachievable that it wasn’t even on my bucket list,” she says.

“I do believe that every dream I’ve had with regards to dance has been achieved, from competitive dance to sports,” she says. “I feel incredibly fortunate for every opportunity.”

As she looks forward to a career in healthcare, with a particular interest in obstetric sonography and prenatal care, she says she’s hopeful to maintain the balance she has found and stay with dance.

“I’m excited to start work in a hospital and hope to continue dancing here in Toronto in the process,” she says, while maintaining her sense of adventure. “And then after that, maybe I’ll become a travel sonographer,” she says with a smile.