Information Technology Services (ITS)
IT@UofT People — Aline Pruvot
Published on: April 9, 2021
The backbone of any successful team is its hard-working people. The University of Toronto’s Information Technology Services (ITS) division is privileged to employ outstanding individuals with diverse talents that extend beyond work-related education and skills.
In this segment, entitled IT@UofT People, we will get to know our IT@UofT team across the tri-campus community and find out more about their hidden or not-so-hidden talents and/or pursuits outside of work.
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Aline Pruvot, services engagement coordinator, Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI).
Name: Aline Pruvot
Department: Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI)
Title: Services Engagement Coordinator
How long have you worked at U of T?
I joined the University of Toronto three and a half years ago to help the Office 365 Migration team with a massive email migration from UTORmail and UTORexchange to UTMail+.
What is your secret or not-so-secret talent(s) and hobbies outside of work?
I have lived in five different countries in the last decade — France, Malta, England, Ireland and Canada — and I spent eight years in a swimming club in France. I’m also an undercover French teacher. As for my hobbies, I have plenty. One of them is to go on winery tours and eat cheese! I love swimming, yoga and practicing meditation. I can spend hours walking around with my binoculars watching blue jays, cardinals and woodpeckers and I can’t have enough of the cottage life! This is by far my favourite Canadian activity!
How and why did you get involved in this hobby?
Growing up in France, drinking wine and eating cheese is something you develop naturally I’d say. And I was very lucky to have a chef as a grandmother, so I got to try delicious homemade food all the time!
I learned to swim when I was six, after my parents made me try classical dance and music school, but quickly realized that I needed something more physical. I had a lot of energy and swimming helped me use it wisely.
Practicing yoga and meditation is a lot more recent for me. I started about two years ago because I wanted to try something different that would benefit both my body and mind. I practice almost every day now and it really makes a difference in my day-to-day life.
As a nature lover, walking outside has always been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. But travelling the world has made me even more grateful for the abundant nature around me. And growing up in France, I’d never seen blue jays or northern cardinals prior to moving to Canada.
As for the cottage life, I discovered this amazing concept when I moved here in May 2016. I heard many co-workers talking about it and I finally tried it when my friends invited me to a cottage on Lake Simcoe. I’ve done many more all over Ontario and Quebec since then!
When/how your interests in these areas begin?
Teaching French is relatively new to me, but I always wanted to be a teacher growing up. It probably comes from the fact that my dad is a primary school teacher; I also had some incredible teachers growing up. They were able to share their passion with me, which made me want to do the same. I took a different path in the end, but I was always attracted to teaching and education at large. The learning experience is a wonderful thing and sharing this with someone else is even more beautiful. That’s why I finally decided to go for it and started teaching French one-on-one about a year ago.
Do you have any professional training in this field?
I took online classes to teach French as a second language, but nothing official.
Who/what are your inspirations?
I have many inspirations, but the first one I have in mind is my partner. Her determination, passion and accomplishments are the perfect example that anything is possible if you truly commit to it. I also admire a lot of my friends, many of them quite accomplished and leaders, such as Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Amelia Earhart and Martin Luther King, Jr.