From the Classroom to the Community: A Full-Circle Moment

Hi sweet friend,

I wanted to share something beautiful that happened this week—a true “pinch me” moment that reminded me how deeply impactful and sacred this work is.

I was honored with the Educator and Community Award during Long Beach’s Women in the Arts celebration, an evening hosted by the incredible Artists in Partnership. It was a night dedicated to honoring twelve women in the community who are using their gifts to offer creativity, hope, inspiration, and healing to others.

And to be among them? To stand in a room full of women who are showing up in their lives and communities with purpose, passion, and heart? It was one of those rare moments where I felt the timeline of my life fold in on itself—where past versions of me, filled with uncertainty and doubt, could look at this present moment and simply say, “Wow. We made it here.”

Ten years ago, I began working at the Harriet Eisman Community School, a division of Long Island Reach. I was brand new to alternative education and had no idea how profoundly the experience would change me. I didn’t know that I’d fall in love with a school that lives and breathes compassion, that I’d come to know students who would teach me more than I could ever teach them, or that I’d one day direct a program that feels like a second home.

Our students have taught me about the resilience of the human spirit, about showing up for others in their most raw and vulnerable moments, and about the power of being seen. They’ve shown me that education isn’t just about test scores or report cards—it’s about connection. It’s about believing in someone before they believe in themselves. It’s about building a space where healing is possible, creativity is honored, and transformation is real.

This work—the kind that happens face-to-face, in classrooms and in quiet hallway conversations—has also poured into the work I do with Struck Inside Out. Through writing, workshops, and speaking, I try to extend that same message outward: You are not alone. Your story matters. And there is power in your pain, beauty in your becoming.

To receive this award felt like an affirmation not just of my work, but of the intention behind it—the heart of it. And to be surrounded by family, friends, and my beloved work family made it all the more special.

I share this with you not to boast, but to remind you that your path—no matter how unclear or winding—can lead to moments that feel divinely aligned. That the seeds you’re planting now, even the ones buried deep beneath the surface, are growing in ways you can’t yet see.

So if you’re in a season of waiting, of wondering, of watering the soil without a single sprout in sight—I see you. And I promise, something beautiful is blooming.

With so much gratitude for this community and for you,

Danielle