Meet the face
behind the posts

I'm Danyelle (she/her). I like to think of myself as a city girl with country

roots. I was born on June 14th in Memphis, TN to parents who are both

from very small rural towns. I have always visited these towns often.

When my grandmothers were alive, it was to visit them. They played a

monumental role in me becoming the person who I am today and I

miss them dearly. My visits to these towns after their passings were to visit other family members, which you will soon learn are some of the people I hold closest to my heart.

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I was born in the city and raised in the suburbs. I took dance lessons for about ten years. It was important to me to be smart in school. Almost everyday in second grade I won Math Queen. In high school I enrolled in the IB Program and because it was so rigorous, was when I began not to care as much. I graduated high school and went on to attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I began as an accounting major and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Business Management with a minor in Entrepreneurship. I left there and entered “the real world.” I began my career as a Financial Services Professional and today I work for a local non-profit to create youth-led systemic change. It’s a journey.

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I am looking to go back to school soon to pursue a Master’s of Public Policy at Penn State University. I have interests in social justice, public policy, and urban planning. Right now in my life, the goal is to do policy analysis/research focusing on racial and economic equity. I say right now because I have an interest in other areas, but policy analysis/research is ultimately what I would like to do. I just hope to have some opportunities along the way that allow me to gain knowledge in urban planning.

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I have one baby brother and a handful of friends I have cherished in my life for about fifteen years now. My free time includes sitting in my parent’s kitchen and annoying my baby cousins. I am creating this blog because I want my life to be more full and part of it being full is being a responsible adult. But life is hard. If I can share what I am learning along the way with others, maybe it will help it to be a little more full. My motto in life is Adulting is a scam, but I'm trying. I recently began taking aerial classes and I am currently really enjoying reading and yoga. I also recently became a plant parent to my girl, Desire. Realistically, the past couple years my life have been centered and consumed by work. This isn’t who I want to be anymore so I am working on changing that.

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My desire is that through this journey you will learn more about what and who I love, things that are meaningful to me, my why, along with my hopes for my community and this world. I would also like for this to serve as space to show I do not have it all together, but I am trying my best to adult in the great land of Memphis, TN.

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Thank you for spending some time on this journey with me.

12:55am 9.27.22