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Since its inauguration in the summer of 2021, SPRINT has garnered a high degree of interest from high school students across Ontario, Canada. In 2022, the SPRINT Executive Team began collecting demographic data to determine whether SPRINT is reaching Indigenous, Black, and racialized (IBR) students as intended. In 2023, the SPRINT Executive Team launched a longitudinal study to evaluate the program's effectiveness over time.
Where we're headed:
Where we're headed:
Growing interest in SPRINT
Growing interest in SPRINT
2024, St. George
2024, St. George
329 high school applicants from over 20 schools within and beyond the Greater Toronto Area
45 volunteers, made up of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members
2025, St. George
2025, St. George
662 high school applicants from over 100 schools within and beyond the Greater Toronto Area
82 volunteers, made up of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members
2021, Online
2021, Online
104 high school applicants from over 20 schools within and beyond the Greater Toronto Area
52 volunteers, made up of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members
2022, St. George
2022, St. George
81 high school applicants from over 33 schools within and beyond the Greater Toronto Area
49 volunteers, made up of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members
2023, St. George
2023, St. George
173 high school applicants from over 33 schools within and beyond the Greater Toronto Area
42 volunteers, made up of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members
Why are high school students interested in SPRINT?
“I’m interested because I was really confused on what I should be in future. Psychology seemed very interesting at first but I didn’t know much about it. Even though I took a psychology course we didn’t learn about it much, it was just in general. So I wasn’t sure if that would be something I’m actually interested in because I based it off of the movies or shows I used to watch with the concept in it, the research about what it’s about on the internet and what I learned from school. ”
"SPRINT gave me better insight of what to expect going into a university setting, and also what psychological topics seem most appealing to me."
“I hope to gain some knowledge and experience that would hopefully support my intentions and desires to study psychology in the future. I'd love to have the opportunity to communicate with upper year students about their experiences and advice for my upcoming years.”
“I am interested in attending SPRINT to strengthen my understanding of psychology and to see if it is realistic for me to pursue a career or further education on psychology. I hope to gain knowledge and experience out of attending SPRINT and cannot wait to begin.”
- Responses from SPRINT 2022/2023 applicants
Our impact:
Our impact:
Did we SPRINT successfully?
Did we SPRINT successfully?
Based on the demographic data collected since 2022, all participants (100%) in past and present SPRINT cohorts identify as either Indigenous, Black, and/or racialized (IBR). The proportions of Indigenous and Black participants have also been increasing over time, from 0% and 10% respectively in 2022 to 7% and 20% in 2024. In 2025, 7% of our participants identified as Indigenous and 61% as Black.
More than half of the participants in SPRINT moved on to pursuing psychology in the next grade level and/or in higher education, with some considering to pursue graduate studies in psychology and related fields.
What did participants think about SPRINT?
"SPRINT was such an amazing opportunity for me to learn more about the different fields of psychology. As someone who was unsure what field of psychology was the most interesting to them, getting the chance to learn about the various fields, while connecting with UofT students currently studying those topics was very beneficial. "
"It was amazing to learn about various fields in psychology and gain research experience; I'd do it all over again!"
"SPRINT was a great springboard for entering a first-year university psychology course. It helped me become familiar with the basic concepts of various fields of psychology."
"I loved SPRINT so much! Not only did it expand my view of what Psychology was and what it investigated, it also allowed me to connect with others who love Psychology just as much as I do!"
"SPRINT was an absolutely amazing experience. I got to learn so many interest psychology topics that expanded my horizons, garnered knowledge on scientific research, befriended participants, and received guidance from the amazing volunteers."
- Testimonials from SPRINT 2023/2024 participants
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