Danni’s Story
Daniell ‘Danni‘ Washington is an amazing young woman from Miami. She has been following her heart for many years spreading the message of ocean conservation. Her expectations for herself and those around her have always been high. A recent University of Miami Graduate (Double Major in Marine Science and Biology) and world traveler (South Africa, Galapagos Islands, Peru, Costa Rica & more), Danni has dedicated her studies, her free time and her creative energies to become a spokesperson for the ocean. Her love and passion for nature was ignited at six years old and has continued to be a major driving force in her life today. Throughout her time at the University of Miami, Danni served as a team leader in the South Florida Student Shark Program (SFSSP) which is a collaborative, multidisciplinary research and education program geared toward encouraging high school, college undergraduate and graduate students to learn about the study and conservation of Floridian shark species, mangrove fish habitat and the Florida watershed. In addition, she served on the executive board of the UM Marine Mammal Stranding Team that actively participated in the rescue, rehabilitation and release of marine mammals that stranded along the coastline of South Florida. Her ceaseless adoration for learning and exploration has helped provide her with incredible opportunities to experience the natural world at its best.
In August of 2008, Danni entered the ROXY ‘Follow Your Heart’ competition presented by Schick® Quattro for Women® a contest driven by the ‘Follow Your Heart Tour’ a 12-location tour intended to inspire girls to go after their dreams. Little did she know that she would melt the hearts and impact the panel of judges to the tune of $10,00.00 – enabling her to follow her heart! “I am the ‘Green Marine spokesperson’ for getting the word out about preserving our precious resource. The ocean is so vast, so beautiful and so mysterious – but many people don’t realize how much our lives depend on it. Our society as a whole needs to change its perspective. I want to focus on the children. They are the ones that will really make the change.” This unbelievable blessing has opened some excellent doors for her to reach out to youth including the opportunity to be the newest member of the Wild Classroom team. Furthermore, Danni has created The Big Blue & You Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to inspire and empower today’s youth to become ambassadors of the Ocean and Earth (www.thebigblueandyou.com).
Danni hopes to use her knowledge, outgoing personality and love for our blue planet to motivate youth around the world to become stewards of our environment and encourage them to initiate change toward a brighter future by becoming leaders of tomorrow.
A short video about Danni
http://blip.tv/play/geMCgp_XWQA
Daniell ‘Danni’ Washington has been following her heart many years spreading the message of water conservation. She is a recent University of Miami Graduate (Double Major in Marine Science and Biology; class of 2008 and world traveler (South Africa, Galapagos Islands, Peru, Costa Rica & more).
She has dedicated her studies, free time and creative energies to becoming a spokesperson for the ocean and water in general. Her love and passion for nature was ignited at six years old and has continued to be a major driving force in Danni’s life today. Throughout her time at the University of Miami, she served as a team leader in the South Florida Student Shark Program (SFSSP) which is a collaborative, multidisciplinary research and education program geared toward encouraging high school, college undergraduate and graduate Florida watershed. In addition, Danni served on the executive board of the UM Marine Mammal Stranding Team that actively participated in the rescue, rehabilitation and release of marine mammals that stranded along the coastline of South Florida.
Staying true to her passion, Danni has been blessed to have the opportunity to reach out to youth as an on-camera host (aka Ecogeek) with Untamed Science. Through Untamed Science, Danni has learned skills in script writing, logistics management, production, editing with Final Cut Pro and HD camera operation.
She also serves as a Green For All Fellow in her South Florida community after being accepted into the GFA Academy(www.greenforall.org) in San Francisco, CA.
The ocean is so vast, so beautiful and so mysterious – but many people don’t realize how much the human race depends on it. As most of us watched the terrifying images of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it wasn’t surprising to see most individuals felt helpless. The truth is, we can all do our part to help. Our society as a whole needs to change its perspective. Danni believes that youth are the ones who will really make that change.
That is exactly why Danni founded ‘The Big Blue & You Foundation’ which a 501 (c)(3) non‐profitorganization that aims to inspire and empower young people to become stewards of our oceans and Earth through the arts and visual media (www.thebigblueandyou.com). BB&Y’s latest and most exciting project was developed after teaming up with the Miami World Cinema Center to implement the One Water Workshop for high school students. It’s a unique film program that provides students with knowledge and first-hand experience in narrative filmmaking to raise awareness about the extremely important role of water here on our blue planet. The participating students write, film, and edit their own Public Service Announcement. BB&Y’s ultimate goal is to motivate youth around the world to become better stewards of our environment and encourage them to initiate change towards a brighter future.
