Her Story
About Danielle
I'm currently a senior at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, where I've spent the past four years pursuing my degree in criminal justice. This field has been a lifelong passion for me - I always knew that if I went to college, criminal justice would be my major. My family members encouraged me, saying they could see this was something that would really interest me and fit who I am, so I had my mind set on this path from the beginning. During my time at Livingstone, I've been deeply involved in student leadership and support initiatives. I served as a Blue Board mentor, where I helped and mentored incoming freshmen, checking in on them regularly, answering their questions, and making sure everything was going well with their classes and their first week experiences. I also represented my school as a CIAA student leader, traveling to Baltimore to support our men's and women's basketball teams and participate in the Career Expo and other conference events. Additionally, I'm a member of TRIO Student Support Services, a program that assists students with finding scholarships and navigating the path to graduate school. Originally from Washington, D.C., I moved to Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina before starting college. In my free time, I enjoy remembering old praise dances from when I used to praise dance growing up, singing gospel songs from my time in choir, and listening to podcasts - activities that help keep me calm and grounded.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Danielle
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my family they are my biggest motivation and support they are always their for me every step of the way I love my mom, dad and sister to death.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received was to get out of my head and stop being my own self-doubter. There were a lot of things that my teachers would tell me I'd be good at, things that would really fit me, and I would say no, I don't think so, I don't think that's for me. But everybody would tell me, 'Danielle, I'm telling you, that's for you, it fits you well, you'll be good at it.' So the advice was to stop letting myself be my own self-doubter, to stop telling myself that I can't do things when I really can. Because if people are telling me that they think something is best for me, obviously they see something in me that they know I can accomplish.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young girls not to let the fact that it's a male-dominated field stop them from thinking they can do something. Just because criminal justice is mostly men doesn't mean women can't succeed. There are a lot of women within the criminal justice field who are getting the spotlight now, and more women are coming out to represent us, women we can look up to as representation. I would tell young girls that even though it is male-dominated, women have a voice too, and we can represent and be on the same level as men and still get equal respect and equal attention, because we are starting to get that attention as well.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
i say the biggest challenge will be just deciding what specifically you want to do in the criminal justice field. And opportunities I will say really anything just connecting and meeting new people.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
For my personal life, I would say family, friends, and faith are most important to me. For my work in criminal justice, I value loyalty, community, trustworthiness, and being hardworking. These values help guide me in both aspects of my life and keep me grounded in what matters most.
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