Ridley captain commits to McGill
Mia Giles found the best of both worlds at McGill University.
The captain of the Ridley Prep Girls hockey team has committed to the Montreal university after sifting through offers from a handful of other schools.
“I think it was a combination of things,” the 16-year-old Halifax native said. “I was looking for an excellent academic program in the area I wanted to study as well as a great hockey program and I think McGill had the best crossover between the academic excellence and athletic excellence.”
Giles, who plans to major in bio-med life sciences, said her official visit to the campus sealed the deal.
“I went to visit the schools and you try to picture yourself there as part of that team and I really felt the best sense of community at McGill,” she said.
Giles joined Ridley in Grade 9 after being spotted by Tigers coaches Amanda Wark and Celeste Doucet at a prep school showcase tournament.
“Ridley is a well-known school on the East Coast and I’ve always wanted to go away for school and hockey,” Giles said. “I met the coaches and they offered a spot and I was super excited for that.”
Giles admits it was a difficult decision to move halfway across Canada at only 14 years of age.
“I think I owe a lot to the program at Ridley,” she said. “It was an adjustment coming in as a 14-year-old to a new school that has the environment of a university but the whole atmosphere here and living in a dorm and taking classes seriously and playing hockey here for four years has really helped me prepare for next year.”
She immediately embraced Ridley’s hectic schedule.
“I think my personality, I think I’m well suited for the busyness of the school,” she said. “You have so much going on with classes and hockey you don’t have much time to think about how much you miss home. It was an adjustment not being with my parents everyday and moving but Ridley helped make the adjustment easier for me.”
Wark said Giles will be missed.
“Mia is impossible to replace, but we know she will go on to lead a new group of passionate student-athletes, and we will also be very proud of that,” Wark said. “Mia is an amazing leader and has pushed our group to be more accountable and consistent”.
Wark appreciated Giles’ determination.
“Mia’s work ethic and habits both on and off the ice along with her drive for excellence pushes her to have success both academically and athletically,” Wark said.
Giles is looking forward to transitioning to the university game.
“They were hopeful I would be able to get into the lineup and start having an impact on the team pretty early which I’m really excited about.”
Giles also suited up for Team Nova Scotia, along with Ridley teammate Jessica Mackinnon, at the 2023 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island where she helped Nova Scotia to a silver medal.
“It was one of the most incredible experiences of my hockey career so far. Just the whole journey of trials and getting to know all the girls and then getting to The Games and surprising everyone and making Nova Scotia history was so incredible.”
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