Dani Fry

Dani’s Story:

I am a 2004 HASD graduate with a Bachelors of the Arts in History and a Masters of the Arts in Human Resource Management, both from Saint Francis University.

I serve the Penn State Altoona community as the Director of Student and Civic Engagement.  My job allows me to foster an environment in which students can grow as individuals and as members of a community.  We believe that the investment from tax-payers in Pennsylvania through state allocations for higher education means that we should graduate students who are interested in being leaders in their communities, in addition to their professional roles.  Students are asked frequently what they want to be when they grow up, so we try to get them to think about that in a different way:  What do you want to do? What positive impact do you want to have?  What change can you help bring about? What strengths/passions do you have to offer?
This role has allowed me to work with local non-profit organizations like the United Way of Blair County and Blair County Chamber of Commerce to connect our students to resources and opportunities in our region, hopefully planting the seed that Blair County is a wonderful place to work and live.  
Practically speaking, I oversee many of the big events that happen like Welcome Week, Family Weekend, Distinguished Speaker Series, and the annual Student Awards ceremony.  We also teach leadership development and civic engagement while also teaching social, life management, and critical thinking skills.  Plus, we create opportunities for students to have fun. 
The journey to my career started at HAHS where I was involved in anything that didn’t require sweating. (haha)  I was an active member of Student Council, Tigers Against Alcohol and Drugs, Prom Committee, FBLA, Yearbook, etc.  I also really loved my civics classes.  Luckily, through strong mentorship at Saint Francis University, I realized that I could turn all of those extra curriculars into my career in Student Affairs. 
Currently, I live in Hollidaysburg with my husband, Barry Fry (’02) and two children.  

Dani’s Nomination, by Erin Isenberg:

Dani is the Director of Student and Civic Engagement and Associate Director of Student Affairs at Penn State Altoona. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in Human Resource Management.

She found herself in this career field as a result of tremendous personal growth in college where she discovered her love for advocacy, building community, and helping others realize their potential. Dani was a first-generation college student who benefited greatly from patient faculty and staff. She hopes to pay forward their kindness by helping Penn State Altoona students to be successful too!

Dani is one of the most passionate people I know regarding diversity and fair and equal rights to everyone. Although she sees many students from all over the country who attend PSU Altoona, she interacts with many kids from Hollidaysburg who choose that as their path after graduation. She is kind, caring, and truly wants every student to rise to their full potential. She is informative, fair, non-judgmental and is always planning fun and new activities for incoming students. She welcomes everyone and hopes to display the kind of behavior she wishes to see in others. She is an advocate for EVERYONE. She problem solves, listens, and helps everyone she comes in contact with, both professionally and personally. She is always up to date with national and world news, has strong and passionate opinions and is knowledgeable in current affairs. She welcomes everyone’s opinion and tries to educate others as well in a kind and informative manner. She’s a pioneer in the road to equality and acceptance for everyone and deserves to be recognized for her efforts in the college community.