White Pages

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Fueled by that belief, Danielle Black’s life embodies that of an educator. At Penn High School, she uses this passion for education to help mold the Early College Academy where students underrepresented in college populations strive toward new dreams of post-secondary instruction. She also uses it in her public speaking classrooms, both at Penn and Ivy Tech Community College, where she teaches students to use their voices to lift their own lives and the lives of others.  This also extends beyond the classroom as  assistant Speech coach, where she encourages young people to tell meaningful stories that need to be heard. Finally, Danielle believes that the importance of education is not limited to our own borders, so in 2011 she co-founded Awake & Alive, a nonprofit dedicated to providing education and economic empowerment to the people of Kechene, Ethiopia. What started with 30 children has grown to over 250 at two campuses and employs more than 35 Ethiopians in a country where jobs are scarce, and where students not only receive an education, but also food, clothing, medical treatment, and love. Through all of Danielle’s commitments, the thread of education weaves its way around the tapestry of her life.