{"id":8511,"date":"2025-07-22T12:53:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T16:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.teamimpact.org\/?p=8511"},"modified":"2025-07-22T12:53:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T16:53:40","slug":"friendship-series-emery-danja-utah-valley-university-womens-basketball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teamimpact.org\/about\/blog\/friendship-series-emery-danja-utah-valley-university-womens-basketball\/","title":{"rendered":"Friendship Series: Emery &amp; Danja, Utah Valley University Women\u2019s Basketball"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Emery joined the Utah Valley University basketball team through Team IMPACT in July 2024, she wasn\u2019t just matched with a group of athletes\u2014she became part of something bigger: a sisterhood that lifted her up when she needed it most. And at the center of that bond was Danja Collins, a teammate whose compassion, leadership, and heart left a lasting mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"8515\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery4.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8515\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery4-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery4-scaled.jpeg?resize=225%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery4-scaled.jpeg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery4-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery4-scaled.jpeg?w=1920&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery4-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"8512\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery1.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery1-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery1-scaled.jpeg?resize=225%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery1-scaled.jpeg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery1-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery1-scaled.jpeg?w=1920&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery1-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"8513\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery2.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8513\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery2-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery2-scaled.jpeg?resize=225%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery2-scaled.jpeg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery2-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery2-scaled.jpeg?w=1920&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery2-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Emery was diagnosed with leukemia in September 2023 and has spent much of her young life navigating treatments and hospital stays; but through those ups and downs, Danja remained a constant. When Danja was younger, her little brother was diagnosed with cancer, so she understands firsthand the challenges Emery and her family can face with this diagnosis. She reached out with encouraging messages, showed up with thoughtful surprises, and made sure Emery always knew she had someone in her corner. Whether it was inviting her to sit with the team during games, celebrating her birthday, or checking in when she was too sick to attend events, Danja\u2019s support never wavered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Team IMPACT opened nominations for Teammate of the Year, Emery and her family immediately thought of Danja. From the start, Danja has been more than a teammate\u2014she\u2019s been a steady friend and a bright light during some of Emery\u2019s hardest moments. Emery\u2019s nomination video captures just how much their bond has meant to Emery and why Danja\u2019s impact will never be forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"2025 Teammate of the Year: Emery &amp; Danja, Utah Valley Basketball\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2F3pQMNW3rI?list=PLp9kBZR8XRz04itoO8ME46OucLblbinSZ\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The entire Utah Valley team embraced Emery, but Danja made it personal. She added Emery\u2019s photo to the team\u2019s \u201cwall of inspiration\u201d and would send her videos from practices and team outings just to let her know she was missed. \u201c<strong>Danja has truly been an angel during this difficult time in Emery\u2019s life<\/strong>,\u201d said Emery\u2019s mom, Talia. \u201c<strong>She shows support through kind messages, surprise gifts, and treating Emery like a little sister.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<strong>She made Emery feel so special<\/strong>,\u201d Talia said. \u201cYou could tell it isn\u2019t something she is doing because she had to\u2014she truly cares.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"8519\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery8.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8519\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery8-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery8-scaled.jpeg?resize=225%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery8-scaled.jpeg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery8-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery8-scaled.jpeg?w=1920&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery8-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"8517\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery6.jpeg?resize=576%2C1024&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8517\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery6.jpeg?resize=576%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 576w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery6.jpeg?resize=169%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 169w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery6.jpeg?w=737&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 737w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"8516\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery5.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8516\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery5-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery5-scaled.jpeg?resize=225%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery5-scaled.jpeg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery5-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery5-scaled.jpeg?w=1920&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery5-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over time, that care helped Emery come out of her shell. The once-quiet girl who walked into the gym unsure of what to expect began to blossom. With Danja\u2019s encouragement, she grew more confident, more connected, and more herself. The relationship didn&#8217;t just change Emery\u2019s experience, it changed her outlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even as Danja graduates and moves on to her next chapter, the impact of her friendship remains. She\u2019s left behind more than memories\u2014she\u2019s left behind a legacy of kindness and leadership. And for Emery, that\u2019s something she\u2019ll carry with her forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" data-id=\"8514\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery3.jpeg?resize=800%2C534&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery3-scaled.jpeg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery3-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C200&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery3-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C512&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery3-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery3-scaled.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery3-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery3-scaled.jpeg?w=2400&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Emery joined the Utah Valley University basketball team through Team IMPACT in July 2024, she wasn\u2019t just matched with a group of athletes\u2014she became part of something bigger: a sisterhood that lifted her up when she needed it most. And at the center of that bond was Danja Collins, a teammate whose compassion, leadership, and heart left a lasting mark.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":8518,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[13,33],"tags":[57],"mens-teams":[],"class_list":["post-8511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","category-match-stories","tag-west"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Friendship Series: Emery &amp; Danja, Utah Valley University Women\u2019s Basketball - Team IMPACT<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.teamimpact.org\/about\/blog\/friendship-series-emery-danja-utah-valley-university-womens-basketball\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Friendship Series: Emery &amp; Danja, Utah Valley University Women\u2019s Basketball - Team IMPACT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Emery joined the Utah Valley University basketball team through Team IMPACT in July 2024, she wasn\u2019t just matched with a group of athletes\u2014she became part of something bigger: a sisterhood that lifted her up when she needed it most. And at the center of that bond was Danja Collins, a teammate whose compassion, leadership, and heart left a lasting mark.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.teamimpact.org\/about\/blog\/friendship-series-emery-danja-utah-valley-university-womens-basketball\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Team IMPACT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GoTeamIMPACT\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-22T16:53:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-22T16:53:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Emery7-scaled.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Katie DePaolo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GoTeamIMPACT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GoTeamIMPACT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Katie DePaolo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.teamimpact.org\\\/about\\\/blog\\\/friendship-series-emery-danja-utah-valley-university-womens-basketball\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.teamimpact.org\\\/about\\\/blog\\\/friendship-series-emery-danja-utah-valley-university-womens-basketball\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Katie DePaolo\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.teamimpact.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a83bc3e15e1ed8dd27d63d62074b8525\"},\"headline\":\"Friendship Series: Emery &amp; 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