For North Texas swimmer Sadie Goldin, being a student-athlete isn't just what she does - it's who she is.
"Being a student-athlete to me is really important. … I've always been an athlete. It's who I am," Goldin said. "I started swimming and racing when I was 7, so I literally can't imagine my life without it."
While swimming still plays a large part in her role as a student-athlete, showing up for her teammates outside of the pool and becoming a presence in the community are where Goldin's true strengths lie.
Growing up with dreams of being a Division I student-athlete, Goldin said it was "the greatest blessing" when she stepped foot on campus at her first school, Old Dominion, in 2022.
However, she quickly faced obstacles that threatened her swimming career before it got a chance to take off.
"About three years ago, while I was in the midst of recruiting, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome," Goldin said. "I was like, 'Cool, now I have a label for all this pain I've had my entire life.' I've been in chronic pain since I was 10 years old, and we didn't really know what it was. It took a really long time to get a diagnosis. I thought, 'OK, once I have a diagnosis, this will be easy.' And it wasn't."
After just a semester at Old Dominion, she was forced to return to her hometown of Toronto to enroll in a pain management program, which failed to produce any real solutions. Not sure what her next steps were, Goldin decided to transfer to North Texas for a fresh start.
"I think what I really appreciate about North Texas is my coaches saw me more as a teammate and as a person, and I was able to come back into the athlete space and start competing again and actually be a part of a team because, ultimately, that's what makes the whole experience, is being a part of a team, being a teammate, being there for your teammates, all of it," Goldin said.
As Goldin settled into her new home at North Texas, she began looking for ways to pour into her passion for community service, something she grew to love from her parents and experiences living in Toronto and London.
"I realized that I have been so fortunate enough and so lucky to be blessed with the life that I have," Goldin said. "I need to be using (my) platform to help others because if someone wasn't there for me when I needed it the most, I'm not sure I'd be here right now."
Goldin found her perfect platform in Team IMPACT, an organization that pairs college athletics programs with children who have life-threatening illnesses. In August, the NCAA and Team IMPACT announced a strategic collaboration to foster long-term relationships between student-athletes and youths to inspire and promote belonging, empowerment and resilience.
The organization's mission matched well with Goldin's, inspiring her to become North Texas' first Team IMPACT fellow, helping to bring matches to her campus. Keeley, the Team IMPACT match for North Texas swimming and diving, immediately became an impactful member of the team.
"We want her to feel like a part of the team because she is a part of the team," Goldin said. "Having her come on campus this year and get to meet all of the girls … it makes me so emotional when I talk about it because I'm so, so excited because I know how hard it is to not be able to do the thing you love. I've had to take breaks from swimming. I've not had the easiest road to get to where I am and to have that and have someone help you have that experience, it's so lucky. There's so many kids who want to have the experience that Keeley's having, that all the other matches are having, and you don't want to take that for granted."
What Goldin appreciates the most about her role with Team IMPACT is seeing the real-life effects of not just her work on others but how the kids she encounters affect her, too.
"I really felt like it was important for me to give back to something that I wish that I had, something that gives back to me," Goldin said. "I'm learning so much from these kids about resilience, being fearless and going through life because life gets in the way. You just got to keep going."
Goldin's experience with Team IMPACT has helped her figure out her desire to pursue a career that helps others.
"This is what I want to do for the rest of my life," Goldin said. "I really feel like there's so many people who would benefit from a program like this. I want it to be on a bigger scale. I think that anyone who maybe their coach is a little bit hesitant, they need to hear these stories because these are real stories of real people who had a real impact on each other. It's Team IMPACT: We impact matches, they impact us."
For now, Goldin wants to continue positively impacting her current community at North Texas, leaving a legacy that extends beyond her athletic contributions.
"I just want to be known as someone who was there … who showed up every single day and did what she could, who had a voice of her own and a voice for others," Goldin said. "I'm not going to be remembered as an athlete. I would like to be remembered as the person that I am."
