As a student at Arcadia University, Danielle Frank ’12 found her calling in Disability Support Services in the Office of Academic Development. 

As a Sociology major, Frank had wanted to become a guidance counselor. However, after working in the Office of Academic Development, she discovered she actually wanted to help counsel students in higher education institutions who have physical or intellectual disabilities.

“Disability Services inspired my career,” Frank said, who is now a Disability Services coordinator at Peirce College in Philadelphia. “In the work that they do, that I do, it shows that people with disabilities have value and they belong.”

Frank recounted how in high school she didn’t feel like she didn’t fit in and felt isolated, until she joined the Arcadia community. 

“I felt like I couldn’t be a leader,” said Frank, who since graduation has served as the Class of 2012 President and a Recent Graduate Trustee. Additionally, Frank has served in a variety of leadership roles with Little People of America, a nonprofit organization which provides support, resources, and information to individuals with dwarfism and their families, including as copy editor for LPA Today, the organization’s quarterly magazine. “When I got to Arcadia, the individual is really celebrated and there were so many ways that you could lead and make a difference on and off campus.”

Frank credits the Learning Resource Network in the Office of Academic Development with making her feel comfortable in not only her environment but with herself.

“They made sure I had a good experience and I was comfortable,” said Frank. “Arcadia celebrates the individual and what they bring to the table and their uniqueness. I didn’t get that in high school, so I’m happy I got it in college. It made me want to help future college students.”