Sanjay Senthilvelan, a co-founder of Student Athlete Listening Project. Sanjay is a pre-med student at Rice University in Houston, Texas, where he studies cell biology and genetics, chemistry, and global health. Through his work as an EMT, his research in Malawi, and his role at Camp Kesem—where he supports children whose parents have cancer—he has learned how illness and injury can shape a family’s daily life, emotions, and sense of stability. Hearing these stories and witnessing the strength of the families he works with has taught him how deeply health challenges can affect young people, both physically and emotionally.

Sports injuries are common among high school and college student-athletes, and they can dramatically affect teens’ physical and mental well-being. Due to forced inactivity and routine disruption, injuries can have a detrimental impact on academic performance, social interactions, and mental health for student-athletes, causing lowered self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and sometimes even identity crises.

I’m Sophia Nguyen. Welcome to my podcast Student Athlete Listening Project, or SALP for short. SALP is a storytelling and listening initiative that focuses on the kind of compassionate listening that creates safe spaces where student-athletes can share their injury experiences, build empathy, and strengthen human connection.

Thank you for sharing and listening.

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