Deepening her Understanding: Nicole Cammaert’s CBU Story

For Nicole Cammaert, returning to University was an act of strengthening the path she was already on. A self-described lifelong learner, Nicole has spent years investing in courses, certifications and professional development while building a career grounded in community impact. Over time, she recognized that to continue to expand her opportunities and influence, formal credentials would matter. That realization brought her to Cape Breton University, where Nicole first completed a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and is now preparing to graduate from the Master of Business Administration in Community Economic Development (CED) program.

“I didn’t come back to school to change direction,” Nicole says. “I came back to deepen it and to better understand the systems I was already working within.”

Bridging Theory and Practice

Today, Nicole’s work sits at the intersection of sport, equity and community systems. As a consultant with Canadian Women & Sport, she contributes to national efforts advancing gender equity in sport leadership. Locally, she has spent more than a decade coaching minor hockey and has served on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Cape Breton and the Coxheath Hills Wilderness Recreation Association, as well as on the EDI Committee of the Cape Breton County Minor Hockey Association. She is also a Fellow with the Future of Hockey Lab, where she collaborates on initiatives aimed at reimagining the future of hockey through inclusive and equitable approaches.

Across these roles, a consistent thread is found: a focus on belonging.

“I’ve always been drawn to the question of how systems shape people’s experiences,” she says. “Who feels like they belong, who stays, who leaves and what we can do about that.”

Those questions are at the heart of her applied research project under the supervision of Dr. Bettina Callary. Her research explores the experiences of women who have exited coaching in hockey, moving beyond participation and retention to examine the emotional and systemic dimensions that continue to shape identity, leadership and connection to sport after leaving. Nicole says conducting research while actively working within the sport system has created a meaningful bridge between theory and practice.

“The more I learn, the more I see how connected everything is: Leadership, culture, identity, accessibility, belonging,” she says. “The MBA has given me frameworks and language for work I was already deeply passionate about.”

Community and Connection

Alongside her studies, Nicole has contributed to applied research and community initiatives through the Department of Experiential Studies in Community and Sport and the Institute for Community, Sport and Health at CBU. Her work has included projects focused on ageism in sport coaching, inclusive sport and social programming for older adults and interprofessional education.

One particularly meaningful initiative for Nicole involved helping coordinate a series of Dementia Live events alongside Dr. Kelsey Harvey. The project included six events across Cape Breton Island, including one hosted on campus at CBU, which aimed to deepen understanding and empathy around the lived experience of dementia. For Nicole, that work was deeply personal.

“My father lived with Alzheimer’s Disease, so being involved in that work carried a lot of meaning for me,” she says. “It reinforced how important community education, empathy and human-centred systems are, not only in healthcare, but across society.”

Navigating Challenges 

Nicole describes her time in the MBA-CED program as a continuous push and pull between lived experience and academic theory. She says her professional background has enriched her classroom discussions with practical insights, while the program has challenged her to think critically and strategically about systems and leadership.

“CED has really shifted how I see leadership,” Nicole says. “It’s not just about individual roles or initiatives. It’s about understanding relationships, power and the conditions that allow people and communities to thrive.”

Her journey has also been shaped by navigating significant health and vision challenges while completing her degree. 

“There were moments that were genuinely difficult,” she says. “But what stands out is how supported I felt. Accessibility wasn’t treated as an exception. It was part of how the system worked to support success.”

Those experiences of support reinforced Nicole’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion as essential elements of strong and responsive institutions.

Looking Ahead

As she transitions out of academia to re-focus that time on systems-level change in her own work, Nicole plans to carry those same intentions into her next chapter. 

“It comes back to being intentional about where you invest your time and energy,” Nicole says. “For me, it’s about contributing to work that feels connected and meaningful.”

Nicole’s focus is on continuing to contribute to systems-level change, particularly in sport, leadership and community settings, where there is an opportunity to create equitable and inclusive environments. For those considering a return to university later in their careers, her advice is simple: 

“If you’re already learning and growing, formal education can amplify that. It gives you language, frameworks and credibility, but it also connects you to a community of people who are thinking deeply about the same questions.”

“I think about belonging a lot,” Nicole continues. “What it feels like, what shapes it and how we build systems that make more of it possible. That’s really what drives everything I do.”

Congratulations to Nicole and the entire Fall 2026 graduating class!
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