HFB will periodically spotlight one of our alumni. If you are interested in being highlighted please contact Miriam Doyle at info@handsforabridge.org
Name: Danielle Hansen
Year(s) in Hands for a Bridge: 2004-2005
School Affiliation: Roosevelt High School (RHS)
Reflection:
International relations and travel had always held great intrigue for me from a young age. I looked for every opportunity to experience new countries, cultures, and languages. However, as someone who is naturally reserved and struggled with confidence, it was difficult to find the courage to take on new challenges, even when they presented as amazing opportunities. I first gained exposure to Hands for a Bridge (HFB) during my language arts class when students from Isilimela visited and was so taken with their openness, optimism and strength despite obvious challenges in their home country, past and present. I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of this program.
I was ecstatic to learn that HFB was considering expanding to include a Northern Ireland branch and felt that this was where I fit in to the program. Participating with HFB was truly integral in building my confidence as a student leader and global citizen. HFB helped ‘bring me out of my shell’, but more importantly, learning of the history and events surrounding apartheid in South Africa and the Troubles in Northern Ireland left a lasting impression which I feel influences my thoughts, feelings, and actions still today.
In 2005, I participated in the first RHS trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland which was positively influential for several reasons. It was not only a strong lesson in leadership, responsibility, and hard work, but also allowed me to make connections with students who came from different religious backgrounds and who were touched by The Troubles in (at times) very personal ways. The lessons presented within the HFB curriculum and first-hand experiences it affords students put a face to social injustice and made the struggles relatable. The experience was invaluable. I believe that participating in this program helped shape the way I choose to relate to strangers in my everyday life. I am thankful for the education, understanding, and activism that HFB continues to foster and am eager to see what future of the program brings.
Post-secondary school education and/or work, and future plans:
After graduating from Roosevelt High School in Seattle, Washington, I attended the University of Washington where I received a BS in Environmental Health. In 2010 I moved to Houston, Texas to attend the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health where I studied environmental and occupational health sciences, graduating with a Master of Public Health in Industrial Hygiene in 2012.
I took a position as an industrial hygiene consultant with Bureau Veritas North America (BVNA) in 2012 in their Houston office before transferring and holding positions in both the San Francisco Bay Area and back home in Seattle. November 2018 found me moving back to Houston for a promotion to the Industrial Hygiene consulting operations manager position. BVNA’s Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) division was acquired by Apex Companies, LLC in July 2019 where I’ve transitioned and continue to hold the same role.
Industrial hygiene is essentially the “health” portion of health and safety in the work place. My responsibilities include helping clients ensure that workers do not experience adverse health effects from either acute or chronic exposure to workplace stressors like chemicals and noise. I also focus on education, training, and empowering workers so that they have the skills to take ownership of their own health and safety.
