Senior Spotlight: Danielle Henry

Tucked away in a little corner of the library, in a quiet room filled with camera equipment, I find senior Danielle Henry prepping her computer for another episode of Unpremeditated. She pulls the script up and leans back while waiting for her partner-in-crime, Camille Abaya, to finish setting up. After watching Camille fiddle around with yet another camera, Danielle good-naturedly smiles. “Camille, stop breaking the cameras, we need to get started." We hit record and the episode opens with her signature intro: “Hello friends, this is your host, Danielle…”

I first met Danielle during my freshman year, talking to Ms. Amalia Masiglat about her research application at Baylor College of Medicine. Her eyes lit up and her posture shifted, excitement practically oozing from her essence. The topic she hoped to be able to research? Cancer cell immunology: CD30 signaling and immune cell proliferation. Danielle’s hunger to learn more was clear to any stranger, which is why it came as no surprise that she earned a position as a Research Intern at Baylor College of Medicine this past summer.

Her research carries a special place in her heart. “I have sickle cell disease,”she told me, while typing at her computer, “I think that’s partially what motivated me to challenge myself mentally. I can’t do too much physically, but I can always improve myself mentally. And what better way than to learn more about my own biology.” Danielle’s research at Baylor College of Medicine plays a part in the Department’s larger goal of producing an easily accessible product for progressive lymphoma cancer patients.

No doubt, she challenges herself way beyond average. Outside of her numerous research projects she currently manages, she is a member of various STEM-based clubs, such as Women In Science and Engineering and Science National Honor Society, as well as community service programs, such as French Honor Society, National Honor Society, and Interact Club, for which she is Sub-head of the Caribbean Committee and Performance Committee Co-Head.

On top of that, she has taken an impressive list of AP courses, such as AP Biology and AP Environmental Science. 

Danielle also carries her heritage close to her heart. “I almost never had a PBJ for lunch,” she joked, “I’m Jamaican-American - we don’t do that.” Her aspiration to stay close to her roots inspired her to found the Carnegie Vanguard High School Black Student Union, proudly supporting 40+ members this year. And in a very Danielle manner, she has brought all her inspiration into one circle, recently carrying out research on Sickle Cell Disease treatment disparities between America and Jamaica and experimenting with affordable treatment options alongside doctors.

In the chaos of the Freshman Biology class, I find Danielle finishing up emails for recommendation letters. She asks if the email is ready to send. “The first sentence is way too long,'' she tiredly sighs. After thinking for a few seconds, she clicks send. “There it goes,” she nervously laughs, “future here I go.”

Danielle hosts the podcast “Unpremeditated” with her friend Camille Abaya, exploring all the unnecessary yet unique topics of life Unpremeditated Youtube here, with new episodes every Thursday.

Read more about Camille in this Senior Spotlight by Tina Li.