To say Danielle Hewitt is a go-getter is an understatement.
With two majors, one minor, multiple roles on campus, and most recently, an internship with the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse, she keeps busy. Hewitt, who has hopes of owning her own counseling services one day, is taking all the steps to get where she wants to go and then some.
While touring colleges, Hewitt realized she would not be able to eat at many of the schools with her plant-based vegan diet. So, she googled organic colleges and found Northland. After a campus tour, she fell in love, and the rest is history.
Her first year, Hewitt jumped in, volunteering for Eco-Reps, the composting crew, and participating in the Northland College Student Association (NCSA), environmental council, and climbing club.
One of her favorite memories from the year was her outdoor orientation trip to Forest Lodge, “I canoed and paddle boarded for the first time, met some of my best friends there, and learned how to successfully call owls,” she said.
Now a rising junior, Hewitt has declared her majors in psychology and business management with a minor in environmental studies. She is now co-president of NCSA and an Eco-Rep. She still participates in the climbing club, and this year she tried out the ski club too. Along with her extracurricular involvement, Hewitt is also a psychology and statistics tutor and teacher’s assistant for social psychology.
“I just really want to do something that helps people,” she said. That’s why counseling is such a draw and that’s why it comes as no surprise that Hewitt jumped on the opportunity to remotely intern with CASDA this semester.
Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse, a non-profit agency based in Superior, Wisconsin, with an outreach office in Washburn, Wisconsin, has offered Hewitt the perfect opportunity to combine her two majors.
“I’ve gotten to do so many different things, like marketing, which plays into my business major and interests, and also a lot of things related to my counseling dreams. I’ve gotten to work with clients and do presentations about building awareness around issues that people might need to come to therapy for.”
Beyond sitting in on staff meetings and client discussions, Hewitt has developed a domestic violence training program for new employees, written articles for the organization’s newsletter, and facilitated a meeting for clients on developing cover letters and resumes.
The pandemic has made some aspects of the internship difficult. “Zoom fatigue is real, and it happens a lot,” she said. But overall it has been rewarding. “I just really like the personal connections I’m developing. I’m working with the outreach coordinator, but I’ve also worked with other staff members,” she said. “Despite it being a remote internship they are integrating me well into the culture, and everyone is so nice and helpful.”
In April, she combined her internship with CASDA and the campus feminist coalition to help plan events for sexual assault awareness month.
Even with a mask on, you can tell Danielle Hewitt is passionate about each and every task she takes on. Next year Hewitt hopes to continue her involvement on campus and through whichever internship will help her grow more.
