Danielle Passariello’s ambitions during her years at the College Experience have been phenomenal. In at least one case…her accomplishments have been unprecedented! Danielle was the first freshman in the College Experience who was chosen by the Golden Knights Dance Team at the College of Saint Rose to be a part of their squad. She is also one of only a handful of our students and alumni who has obtained a Driver’s License. Danielle is not someone who gives up easily or rests on her laurels either. In fact, she is still trying hard to create lasting impressions within the program as an alumnus!

It is worth mentioning that Danielle graduated with her class during the infamous year of 2020 in which a New Normal decimated many cherished traditions or at least forced them to be dramatically modified. Therefore, Danielle and her classmates did not have a Senior Trip or even a graduation celebration with all of their loved ones in attendance. Most people would have just accepted the circumstances and viewed the lost celebrations as a moot point. Danielle, however, is a little more tenacious and was not willing to throw in the towel just yet.

Using the money raised from a previous fundraiser that she had spearheaded, Danielle threw her peers the graduation celebration of their dreams on the date of Saturday, July 23rd, 2022 using a recreational room that was generously lent to her by St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. (She made a donation to the church in exchange for their support.) With some assistance from her Media and Activities Liaison, Danielle bought all of the supplies at a local Walmart and arranged for catering from local food vendors. The celebration was opened up to the Classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 even though most of the attendees were from the current class of 2022. They truly appreciated the fact that an alumnus went to bat for them in order to ensure they had a satisfying end to their College Experience career. The students themselves served as the DJ and played music that added to the theme of moving forward while still holding onto the magic that may sometimes be delayed during our life experiences.

We wish Danielle a lot of success in her future endeavors and am sure she will find success whatever her path takes her. Many of her accomplishments are buoyed by the support received from her parents, Caren and David who have helped out with these events planned by their go-getter of a daughter! Enjoy the photos of this epic event with Danielle (wearing the pink dress) and her extremely grateful peers from the College Experience.