Danielle Danae Plattenburg, T '07

Pre-med English major

"Duke has given me incredible opportunities to explore different paths—and the financial aid has definitely taken a burden off my mom."

Danae Plattenburg of Sugarland, Texas wanted to go to Duke since she was 12 years old, when she first visited as a student in the Talent Identification Program. Six years later, she set foot on the Duke campus again as a freshman—thanks in part to a Reginald Howard Scholarship and work-study job. "It's definitely taken a burden off my mom," says Danae, whose mother, a nurse coordinator in the public schools, has raised Danae and her two college-bound brothers alone. And Danae hasn't wasted a second of her Duke experience: the pre-med English major performs with Dance Black, writes for a Black Student Alliance publication, works at

the Student Health Center, serves as a sexual health peer educator, and recently interned at a college prep school for inner-city children in Pittsburgh—part of Duke's Service Opportunities in Leadership program. Duke is giving her the opportunity to step out of her comfort zone and discover new abilities—such as a talent for teaching, Danae says. "It's sort of all coming together here."