Striving for athletic and academic excellence

Danielle Groenendijk is graduating from VIU this June with a Bachelor of Science, major in Biology and minor in Kinesiology – graduating with honours.

She is also a member of the VIU Mariners women’s volleyball team and the combination of both a strong volleyball program and the academic programs offered was a major factor in why she decided to attend VIU. 

Danielle is a four-time national volleyball championship winner. She’s been part of the VIU Mariners women’s volleyball team since 2017, during which time the team has won gold for the past four Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national championship competitions. No competitions were held during the 2020-21 season due to pandemic restrictions.

Danielle says it was great to travel again during her final year of competition and explore parts of the country many of the team members haven’t visited before. It was also a good way to top off everything that happened throughout her five years of attending VIU.

The team trained for almost eight months in preparation for the competition. They had their share of ups and downs during the pandemic, but everyone supported each other. 

“The really special thing with our team is we really are a family and love being with each other and we love playing with one another,” she says. 

The week of nationals, Danielle says the team was embracing being with each other for one last time and even though she has won gold at nationals before it is still a bit of a surreal moment.

“It was like, ‘Whoa, all these months have come down to this moment.’ In the moment it almost doesn’t feel real at first,” she says. “I was also thankful that a bunch of my family was able to come out since it’s my last year. It’s really nice to celebrate with them in person.” 

During her studies at VIU Danielle received a combination of 25 academic and athletic awards. Some award highlights include: VIU President’s Entrance Scholarship for Scholar Athletes, CCAA National Scholar Award, VIU Deans’ Honour List, First Team All Star at the CCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championship 2022 and the Chuck Gullickson Exemplary Leadership Award at the CCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championship 2022.

Danielle says her professors have been very accommodating of her athletic commitments and have recognized that she is dedicated to her academic studies.

“Academics has been a huge part of my career. I definitely embrace the student athlete part, but I didn’t just come for athletics,” says Danielle. “It’s been a learning curve. I think time management has been a big thing. I appreciate being able to have balance or a break between the two.”

Danielle’s dedication to her studies hasn’t gone unnoticed. She’s won the VIU Academic Excellence Award for the past three years and has been on the Dean’s Honour List from 2018-21. She liked that at VIU she could pursue a science degree and get a minor in a different specialty. She also liked that she could establish relationships with her peers because of the small class sizes.

“I knew that VIU had smaller class sizes and that I would be able to build a community better and get to know my classmates and also my professors.”

In addition to her athletic and academic pursuits, Danielle is also involved in volunteer and charitable activities. In 2020 she started a fundraiser called Running for Parkinson’s and ran 250 kilometers in 30 days. The fundraiser was in honour of her grandfather who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a few years ago. Her initial fundraising goal was $7,500, but she ended up raising more than $17,000. 

“It was a cause close to my heart,” says Danielle. “I raised the money through Parkinson Canada, which supports individuals with Parkinson’s and their families, and it also goes to research.”

She also recently volunteered with the organization Athletes in Action on a trip to Mauritius, in East Africa.

“Our biggest thing is sharing our faith and love for God through sport, so we taught volleyball camps and PE classes and also played various volleyball teams, including their national team,” says Danielle.