Let me introduce you to one special lady…. Danielle Burke. She has the composure of an adult as a result of making the choice at an early age to leave her family in Boulder and follow her passion of ski racing. She moved to Vail to live with a host family at the young age of 14 to attend Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy (VSSA).
Her ski career has led her all over the world and her commitment to the sport has resulted in top performances. Danielle has developed her internal drive and dedication in all areas of her life with strong support of her family, her host family and her teammates.
She attributes her self -motivation and work ethic to her parents who showed their trust in her at a young age and her Ski and Snowboard Club Vail coach Johnny. When she is not training or competing, Danielle excels at school. She expresses her creative side through writing short stories and has a love of reading (72 books a year!).
Danielle has been a member of both Valley’s Voice and Communities that Care Research & Data team and is a member of the Mountain Youth Board of Directors. Danielle has an interest in Suicide Prevention with focusing attention toward the positive among her peers. She has initiated a passion project through Valley’s Voice to reduce internet restrictions in schools district wide. Danielle recognizes an enormous benefit to students being able to access needed resources. She acknowledges there is a dark side to the internet yet she sees it being more advantageous to teach responsible use rather than simply forbidding access.
Danielle will be senior this fall with the hopes of continuing her competitive skiing through college. She dreams of pursing a career in the medical field starting with becoming EMT certified. Danielle has a moto of “Go For It” and from what I can tell she is living it!
-Michele Zoller
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