El Camino College Student Lands Prestigious Global Education Fellowship

When Danielle Kabboul enrolled in El Camino College in fall 2022, she was looking forward to putting the stress of her pandemic high school education behind her and making a new start. Initially planning on focusing strictly on academic excellence and then transferring to a top-tier university, her path changed when she discovered what was possible at El Camino.

It started with joining the college’s powerhouse forensics team, which led to Kabboul finding a supportive community that encouraged her to branch out even further from speech and debate to student government and clubs. She recently took her campus involvement to the next level and was elected to serve as president of El Camino’s Associated Students Organization this fall.

But first, Washington, D.C.

This summer, Kabboul will participate in the Meridian-Cox Foreign Service Fellowship, an extremely selective paid summer enrichment and mentorship program that focuses on expanding access to global education opportunities and international affairs. Approximately 475 students across all U.S. universities and colleges applied; 20 were invited to join the program.

“The fellowship is designed to show students pathways in diplomacy and ways to explore foreign service careers,” she said. “Once I joined different campus groups, I realized I wanted to do so much more to make a difference. I discovered my passion for helping students through my involvements at El Camino, and I hope this fellowship will foster an even greater passion for helping people on a global scale.”

As a first-generation American and college student, Kabboul was determined to live up to her own high academic standards, which matched those upheld by her family. With all the opportunities available at El Camino, she found that she could work on her college education in her own way, at her own pace. She is pursuing a double major in business administration and mathematics and plans to earn six associate degrees (business administration, math, economics, political science, communication studies, and general studies) by the time she graduates in spring 2025.

“El Camino has been great for me to explore my options – I was originally a psychology major, then switched to business, and I enjoyed STEM classes as well,” she said. “When I get ready to transfer next year, I will apply and see what options I have. I see it is a privilege that I am able to thrive in different areas of study, but the other side now is I’m having a hard time choosing what I want to do going forward.”

In addition to being El Camino’s Associated Student Organization (ASO) president, Kabboul’s past student activity positions include Speech and Debate Club president, director of activities for El Camino College’s Inter-Club Council, and the ASO director of external affairs, where she organized and led delegations through personal/leadership development and advocacy-based conferences, while also spearheading efforts that motivated students to vote. Additionally, she represented El Camino College students in the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, where she facilitated state and federal legislative advocacy on their behalf.

“I’m so lucky in that I basically stumbled into a group of friends offering so much encouragement,” Kabboul said. “I want every student to have that sort of life-changing experience here at ECC, whether it be through a club, student-success program, affinity center, or just the community at large. I had never explored student or legislative advocacy before getting involved at El Camino, and my experiences here have completely changed the trajectory of my goals and future in ways I could have never imagined.”