Please join us in welcoming the newest member to the Community Foundation team, Danielle Hoske, DeKalb County Nonprofit Partnership (DCNP) Program Assistant. Danielle is a recent graduate from Northern Illinois University (NIU) where she studied Community Leadership and Civic Engagement as her major and received a minor in Communication Studies. When not immersed in her studies or working, she was very active in her volunteer roles and research.

Danielle is an alumnus of the DCNP-NGOLD Internship Program, working under the direction of Jill Olson at CASA DeKalb County. She is one of many success stories of the Internship Program and is a great fit for DCNP and the nonprofit sector.

During a short interview, here are some additional things we learned about Danielle:

• What are you looking forward to in your new role with DCNP? I am most excited to learn! I have never been involved with an organization as unique as the DCNP and I am really looking forward to learning about all of the components and operations that make it such a high functioning program. In addition, I am very excited to work on the Give DeKalb County project! I participated as a volunteer and donor last year, so I am really looking forward to the experience I will gain working on such a major project/event now as the DCNP Program Assistant.  
• What is one of your favorite volunteer roles or activities? My favorite volunteer experience was the time I spent at PADS. Interacting, socializing and providing comfort to members of the homeless population is very humbling and rewarding. I feel that it is so important to be empathetic to those that are less fortunate, especially those that are homeless. I always left PADS feeling inspired to serve more and confident that I spent my time well.
• Favorite class during your college years and why?
  My favorite class was interpersonal communications. Ironically, it was a huge lecture hall of over 200 students, but I learned some of the most important lessons about life in that class. Specifically, we discussed perception as it pertains to communication. I learned vital communication skills that are applicable to not only my social life but my professional life as well.
• Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
  I am a firm believer in setting goals but also leaving one’s options open. My goal is to go to graduate school within the next year and a half. First, however, I want to get my feet wet and gain some experience working in the sector, so that I can have a better idea of whether I want to pursue my MPA or JD….or both! Yikes! From there I hope to be involved at the upper leadership level of an advocacy agency/organization.

A few more questions just for fun:

• What is your favorite NFL team? DA BEAAARRSSSS
• Do you have any pets? 2 kitties- Sassypants Sassafras (she is ADORABLE and cross-eyed!) and Olaf, he is all white (named after the snowman from Frozen)
• Favorite social media channel and why? The only social media channel that I have is Facebook. I prefer not to engage too much with social media because I feel that it distracts us from the world around us and teaches us not to be present. (But Facebook memes are my weakness!)