Danny Voisine

1) Where did you graduate from high school?
San Leandro High, San Leandro, CA. (2001, twice).

2) Where did you graduate from college?
Santa Rosa Junior College – Santa Rosa, CA  – 10 Associate Degrees (2019–2023).
Sonoma State University – Rohnert Park, CA –  B.A. in Liberal Studies (2024).

3) What are your current UNC Charlotte academic majors?
M.Ed. in Urban Education; Graduate Certificates in Anti-Racism and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

4) Which GPSG goal are you most excited to help accomplish this year—and why?
Increasing 95% usage of the Niner Engage Plus app to unite grad student leaders and maximize each group’s potential, especially important for online engagement.

5) What is one thing in your bag/backpack right now that you probably shouldn’t admit to carrying around?
Four power banks—because finding an open outlet on campus feels like winning the lottery.

6) If you had to write your thesis/dissertation as a Netflix show, what would it be called?
Neurodiverse Nation: Surviving and Thriving in Higher Ed.

7) What is one important thing every graduate student at UNC Charlotte should know?
Your story matters—embrace it and help open doors for others.

8) What’s your go-to response when grad school gets overwhelming?
I put Herbie Hancock’s song Perfect Machine (1988) or Placido Domingo singing Puccini's Nessun Dorma (1982) from Puccini's opera Turandot on my Spotify on my phone or laptop, and remind myself—Vincerò! (I will win!).

9) What’s one thing you wish someone had told you before starting grad school at UNC Charlotte?
You’re here because your resilience and life experiences are what this university needs.

10) If your personality were the result of two famous people combining their traits, who would they be—and why?
General Eric Shinseki (former US Secretary of Veteran Affairs and someone I have met) for his steady leadership and advocacy, and Dr. Temple Grandin (Autistic and Neurodivergent Advocate) for turning personal challenges into transformative change.

11) In one sentence, what does “leadership” mean to you as a grad student?
Using lived experience to create opportunities and space for others to be heard.

12) Dream Job?
Dean or VP of Academic Affairs at Santa Rosa Junior College to empower students and reshape education for all marginalized communities.