Preparing for future in law and government, Central State University student finds support and resources through her HBCU

Cleveland native and senior Honors College student Danielle Darkenwald, majoring in History, originally came to Central State University to study in the ever-growing Criminal Justice program.

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“I decided to make the change to majoring in History in my sophomore year,” Darkenwald said, “because as much as I knew I wanted to eventually go into law, I learned that you don’t necessarily have to have a pre-law focus in undergrad to go to law school. I decided to change to History because I really enjoy learning about Black history and Africana Studies.”

Darkenwald’s passion for a law career was first sparked in high school when, during her senior year, she took part in an internship through the Cleveland Municipal Court’s Language Interpretation Department. 

“I was able to see how language interpreters there were able to create a bridge of comprehension between the client and the courtroom,” Darkenwald said. “I really enjoyed sitting in the courtroom, watching all of this, and learning languages that I had never even heard of. That’s really what inspired me to pursue law: being that bridge of comprehension and that interpretation of law.” 

In addition to kicking off her interest in the legal profession, Darkenwald’s internship was one of the factors that led her to learning multiple languages, including Arabic, Spanish, and Swahili. 

“This has also really helped me to learn a deeper appreciation for cultures outside of the United States and to become better at eventually becoming an advocate for people for whom English isn’t their first language and require legal assistance,” Darkenwald said.

Bringing Black excellence to law and government

Two years after changing her major, Darkenwald remains dedicatedly on track to go to law school. She is currently preparing for her graduate studies and will be taking the LSATs later this month.

“I do feel I’ve been well prepared for the LSATs,” Darkenwald said, laughing that she “wish(es) I had gotten prepared a little earlier, maybe a year ago to be even more ready for them!”

Having crammed for the LSATs for the past four months, Darkenwald admits that the extra studying “has been kind of challenging” in conjunction with her regular schoolwork at Central State, social life, and various leadership positions on campus.

“I’ve always been a leader, someone who has always done what’s right, with a passion for always sticking up for people,” Darkenwald said.

At Central State, Darkenwald is an Honors College emissary; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Council student representative; and Pre-Law Society treasurer. She also worked in her freshman year as a Dayton Urban Young Life mentor and is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, the National Society of Leadership and Success, and the NAACP. She is the recipient of a Presidential Scholarship, Trustee Scholarship, the David L. Boren Award Scholarship, and the Upper Classman Scholarship.

With such accolades and through such leadership roles, Darkenwald has, during her time at Central State, met with Ohio state senators and university presidents, as well as other people of significant eminence. She recently took a trip with CSU Senior Policy Consultant and Board Professional and former State Sen. Chris Widener, and CSU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs F. Erik Brooks, to the Columbus Statehouse.

As representatives of Central State, the trio met with other state senators and officials and sat in on a session in the U.S. Senate Chamber.

During the drafting of Senate Bill 83 (which passed earlier this year, effectively banning affirmative action in higher education admission policy), Darkenwald met with State Senators Andrew O. Brenner and Michele Reynolds.

“There was a lot of tension around the drafting of that bill,” Darkenwald said. “And Sen. Brenner didn’t really have a very strong understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusivity committees on college campuses. So, as the DEI Council student representative at Central State, I was able to shed some light on what that committee is, what it looks like, and help him better understand what we do here at the school.”

Harvard workshop helps shape student experience

Darkenwald’s understanding of her school’s offerings further expanded when she was given the opportunity to participate in Central State’s first Harvard University Division of Continuing Education Leadership Workshop in September.

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“It was a workshop that served as a major reflection for me,” Darkenwald said about the workshop, the first time Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education partnered with an HBCU for the prestigious leadership workshops typically reserved for elite business professionals nationwide. “There’s more to being a leader than just saying, ‘I am a leader.’ I’m growing every day in different aspects and have a lot of things I need to work on as a person.”

Through the workshop session, one of two offered on-site, in which she participated, Darkenwald learned more about emotional intelligence, different leadership styles, and the distinction between positive and negative leadership attributes.

“After attending this workshop, I now am more cognizant of not only my own perception of how I view things but also how other people may view things in similar situations, whether that be under professional settings or in my personal life,” Darkenwald said. “I have a longer thought process when I think about things now. I think more now of the other person’s perspective, which is definitely something that will help me as an attorney because I won’t only be thinking about myself.”

Jumpstarting a career abroad

Darkenwald aspires toward working specifically in international law and/or going into the government sector. Her goal while attending law school is to learn yet another language so that she can work for a government agency such as the United Nations. Once there, she would like to provide legal service for those in need both abroad and domestically.

To this end, in addition to working toward law school and in preparation for her future career ahead, Darkenwald has also applied for a government position with the Department of Justice.

As a mentor for fellow and younger students, Darkenwald suggests that setting a plan is key to find the kind of success she has had a Central State. She feels strongly that to achieve the most one can while at Central State, utilizing the many resources available through the University should be a primary goal for all attending.

“My life at Central State has really been an amazing time, and that is not an exaggeration at all,” Darkenwald concluded.

“The school has really helped me to value community and family in the way I’ve been building relationships and community here on campus. There are so many people here on campus who have been so supportive and helped me to get to where I want to be.

“Central has been really great at providing opportunities and resources for these kinds of things, including the one-on-one experiences I’ve had through the Honors College, the Graduate Student Success Preparation Program, and the work we did in the Harvard leadership workshop. It’s through such opportunities that Central State has really helped me better reflect on where I’ve been, who I am now, and where I want to be in the future.”