Sarah Densham graduated from Kalamazoo College with degrees in English and psychology and was a four-year letterwinner for the swimming & diving team. Even though her collegiate diving career has ended, Densham will be taking her education into her professional life as a behavioral therapist for children with autism. Densham will also look to further her education as she is deciding between a master's degree in social work and a doctorate in clinical or sports psychology.
"I want to work with athletes who are struggling with their mental health and help them realize that they have value as a human being that is separate from their athletic and academic achievements," said Densham. "Every athlete has failed, made mistakes, and felt fear, anxiety, and insecurity at some point in their career. I had many highs and lows throughout my career, and I learned a lot about how valuable support and connection are to overcoming challenges. I want to use my story to connect with athletes during their struggles and help them see that hope and healing is possible."
Densham created a good one-two punch with Sam Vande Pol for the women's diving team. She was a two-time MIAA Diver of the Week this season and finished third at the MIAA Championships in the 3-meter, scoring 391.90. That was a career-best score for 11 dives, along with a 374.45 in the 1-meter she scored earlier this season. She also earned career-highs in the 1-meter (227.40) and 3-meter (229.57) for six dives as a senior.
"I learned a tremendous amount as a student-athlete about perseverance, determination, and teamwork. I also learned a lot about success. Success is not an end result. Success is not a prize. Success is in the process of continuously learning, growing, and improving. Most importantly, I learned that success does not lead to happiness. Happiness leads to success," said Densham about her athletic experience at Kalamazoo.
Densham was very involved in the community while at K, volunteering as a tutor for Kalamazoo Public Schools, at the YWCA, and for RAWK, a local elementary school reading and writing tutoring program. The hands-on and interactive experiences with children were her most valuable experiences at Kalamazoo. She also was a swim coach for Swim for Success, a Civic Engagement program at K, and a diving coach at Western Michigan Diving Academy.
She had this to say about her volunteer experiences, "At K, students have a lot of opportunities to help those around them, and I think it's very important to give back to the community that we're in. I felt a lot of love and support at K, and I always tried to reciprocate that to the kids I had the opportunity to work with. Being surrounded by such curious, kind, and loving kids every day was a gift, and they filled my life with smiles, laughs, and hugs."
Densham had a health psychology research internship in her sophomore year at K through the University of Michigan. She studied the neuroscience of trauma, specifically how adverse childhood experiences affect various regions of the brain. She also studied protective factors that work to combat the effects of trauma on the brain and nervous system. Her senior interactive project was done in the English department, where she earned honors by writing a 250-page memoir about her experiences as a college diver. Densham reflected on several injuries and health complications she had throughout her career, as well as the struggles she had with navigating her identity as a diver, defining success, and embracing adversity and failure.
"K has been very helpful in preparing me for my next steps, said Densham. "The support and guidance I've had from professors and coaches have helped me realize that I want to be able to be in a similar role as them and help others in the ways that they've helped me. As a student-athlete, I learned a lot about perseverance, determination, and teamwork. I also learned a lot about success. Success is not an end result. Success is not a prize. Success is in the process of continuously learning, growing, and improving. Most importantly, I learned that success does not lead to happiness. Happiness leads to success."
A native of Saline, Mich., and a Saline H.S. graduate, Densham also wanted to thank her swimming and diving coaches. "I'd like to thank my two coaches, Kyle Oberhill and Logan LaBerge, for supporting me through the many ups and downs of my diving career and for always making me laugh. They've both changed my life and I'm very grateful."