Hoping to graduate in 2028 with a Master of Theological Studies degree, Nikita (Niki) Ens, an online student living in Saskatoon, came to Tyndale by a long and precipitous route.
She was born and raised in a Christian home, where her parents followed Jesus. “I went to church,” Niki says, but often wondered, “Was Jesus my Lord?”
She joined the army in 2006, when she turned 18, and admits she participated in activities that led her to call out to God: “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments” (Psalm 119:176).
Eight years later, she recalls, “I was driving home from an RN shift on a single-lane highway when an oncoming truck swerved into my lane.” The resulting collision left her with a spinal cord injury (SCI) and quadriplegia.
“There is less resistance against my paralyzed limbs, and it’s a sense of freedom,” she says, adding with a chuckle that she had a close encounter with water when she was eight months old: “Dad put me in a lifejacket and threw me over the side of the boat into a lake, and I came up smiling.”
Before her injury, Niki was a very active athlete.
“I cycled from Calgary to my grandparents’ home in Chilliwack, B.C., with Dad in eight days at age 12,” she says. “I won a provincial gold medal in high school track-and-field, played varsity volleyball at Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, and varsity track-and-field at the University of Saskatchewan.”
She also worked at Mountain Equipment Co-op and guided rock and ice climbing ventures, worked as a biologist in the Yukon, cycled across Canada in 33 days, and ran marathons and triathlons.
During her time of recovery, Niki’s parents offered her their support and inspiration while encouraging her to persevere. One day, when she thought of giving up, she says her dad gave her “a loving kick in the butt. … The following day, Mom took me to the pool. She was weeping with joy over seeing me move in the water, and a local coach who ‘just happened’ to be on deck, invited me to train.”
While her previous sporting activities required the use of her legs, Niki chose water activities to recover. “There is less resistance against my paralyzed limbs, and it’s a sense of freedom,” she says, adding with a chuckle that she had a close encounter with water when she was eight months old: “Dad put me in a lifejacket and threw me over the side of the boat into a lake, and I came up smiling.”
Three years after the collision, Niki returned to swimming in 2017, connecting with the Saskatoon Lasers Swim Club, which reignited her athletic career.
“Her performance at international competitions has been impressive,” says the Canadian Paralympic Committee on its website. “In 2022, she captured a silver medal in the 200-metre freestyle S3 at the World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira and broke the Canadian record in the 50-metre backstroke S3, finishing fourth.
“At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Ens achieved personal best times in the 50-metre backstroke S3 and the 100-metre freestyle S3, finishing ninth in both events. Her journey in Para swimming began after being encouraged by her friend and teammate Shelby Newkirk, leading her to significant achievements and setting multiple Canadian records.”
This past summer at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Niki finished 9th in the 50-metre backstroke S3 and 15th in the 100-metre freestyle S3.
From questioning whether Jesus was her Lord, Niki says she “gradually discovered that Jesus is the way. The only Way.” She started reading the Bible for the first time. When it came time to seek a Christian education, she says, “I chose Tyndale because of its reputation of being a Christ-following school that adheres to the Bible.”
“I was concerned about accessibility and commuting,” she admits, but was happy to learn that she can earn her degree completely online. “I’m thankful for this option, but have grown to think in-person interactions are so much richer, and allow for fuller, more genuine conversation as we learn, understand, and share varying perspectives and experiences.”
While Niki doesn’t know where her studies at Tyndale will take her at this point in her life, she has already found opportunities to speak about her life and faith experiences in schools, and to help Athletes in Action with its summer camps and university events.
“Performing on the world stage and meeting people from other countries, languages and cultures are checkpoints, reminders of things to be thankful for, and open our eyes to the experiences of others,” she says.
“Sometimes swimming, competing and travelling require accepting help from others, which can be tough because of pride,” she says. “But Jesus is the provider. The Spirit is the helper, the advocate, the comforter. We are never alone. I’ve never been without the provision [of God] at the right time.”
In the meantime, she says, “I’ll continue to seek to know God more, share the good news with others, and lead small group meals and Bible studies.”
And “hopefully,” she would like to compete in the World Championships in Singapore next year, as well as the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.