Danielle Downing '99 is not the typical sophomore for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that she is 26 years old and has received five marriage proposals from men in Kenya.
After three years of active service in the army, stints as a Mary Kay skin care consultant and an Emergency Medical Technician and a summer in Kenya, Downing ended up at the College.
"I'm here at Dartmouth and it still shocks the hell out of me," Downing said, smiling.
But however unexpected, a four-year stay at Dartmouth is hardly the most exotic stop on this adventurous sophomore's journey.
Her path to Dartmouth took many twists and turns.
After graduating from high school in Plymouth, Mass. in 1988, Downing joined the Army as a medic, providing medical treatment and performing minor surgery in emergency situations.
Downing was stationed in Germany from 1988 to 1991, during the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall. During her leave time, she traveled to places like Austria, France, Holland and Spain.
After her time in Europe, Downing came back to Plymouth, where she worked as a Mary Kay skin care consultant and an Emergency Medical Technican.
Although no longer employed full-time by the Army, she remained in the Army Reserve, which entails one weekend of training per month, plus a two-week mission per year.
One of these missions involved working with the Mexican border patrol. "I assisted the patrol in creating an access road and barrier along the border," Downing said.
While there, Downing also helped prevent Mexican cows, which are potential anthrax carriers, from crossing into the U.S.
This past summer she spent five weeks in Africa on a humanitarian and military mission as part of her Army duties.
She helped the Kenyan army build a training range, and assisted in the construction of a girls' school and a water tower. Downing enjoyed the mission greatly. "I learned how to speak Swahili and got five marriage proposals," she says.
One marriage offer included 50 goats, 20 cows and three pots of honey for making beer for the head of Downing's household.
Seven years after graduating high school, Downing decided it was time to head to college.
She applied to a number of schools in New Hampshire so she could be close to her family. Dartmouth did not even enter her thoughts until a high school friend of Downing's who was attending Yale encouraged her to apply.
"She was the only one from our high school who was in an Ivy League school," Downing said.
She retook the SATs, applied to Dartmouth and was thrilled to be accepted, she said. "We're here with the best minds in the country. Can you believe we're here?" she said.
Meanwhile, she is the typical overbooked Dartmouth student, taking classes for her double major in religion and government, while juggling working, taking part in the Army Reserve, singing in the Gospel Choir, participating in the Big Brother/Big Sister program, and being a member of Delta Phi Omega, the new sorority, which is seeking College recognition.
Downing said she is not fazed by the age difference between herself and the majority of the undergraduates.
She admires the wide range of opinions and activities at Dartmouth. "The diversity of experiences here gives everyone a level playing field," she said.
Downing said the undergraduates here are her peers, and she respects them for the various things they've accomplished.
As for her future plans, Downing is not quite sure. "You never know where life is going to bring you," she said. "I may join the Peace Corps, or who knows, I may become a hermit on Mt. Washington."
