Danielle Holmes
FLTI of Boulder County-Longmont, 2018 Graduate
Danielle Holmes is a 2018 graduate from the Family Leadership Training Institute of Boulder County- Longmont whose leadership journey truly embodies the “why” behind the leadership initiative aimed at transforming the civic landscape of Colorado.
When asked about what issues she’s tackling in her new role, Holmes said, “It’s a wild ride serving the university in this way. We’re a commuter campus with three different institutions providing higher ed to very different student bodies. I commute myself, sometimes as long as two hours one-way, and combined with my studies, well, sometimes it feels like I’m not doing much.”
Holmes is working with leadership from the three universities on her campus to develop a census count committee that would implement strategies to mobilize students and the surrounding communities around participation in the 2020 Census.
As a young adult, Danielle found herself wearing many labels cast upon her during her childhood: ward of the state, abuse victim, aged out. Like many others who’ve been branded with similar labels, she found herself living out many alarming foster care statistics: 1 in 5 children who age out of foster care will experience homelessness. 7 in 10 girls who age out will become pregnant before age 21. 1 in 4 children who age out will suffer from PTSD for the rest of their lives. Children who are abused growing up are more likely to experience interpersonal violence as adults than children who are not.
When Danielle applied for and received funds from The Women’s Independence Scholarship Program, she secured refuge with a domestic violence shelter in Boulder, enabling her to flee cross-country from an abusive partner and begin a new life. She enrolled at Front Range Community College (FRCC) and got involved with the OUR Center in Longmont, where she received a variety of services from basic needs like food and clothing to counseling services.
After Danielle won an out-of-state custody battle for her daughter, she was eligible for the Family Self-Sufficiency Program in Boulder County, which offered affordable housing and other supports to her family while she completed her education.
“Before FSS, my ‘low-income’ housing rent was still $1,000 a month and I was struggling with doing it all.” The program reduced her out-of-pocket rent to less than $300, freeing up much needed time and money to devote to her studies and other basic needs. “Until I was able to find myself in school, I was lost – for many, many years,” she said.
Now, Holmes has not only found herself – and a passion for law – but she has continually stepped up to lead where her community’s needs arise. During her time with Front Range Community College (FRCC), she became a Legislative Representative of the Student Government Association. In the fall of 2017, she heard about The OUR Center’s new Family Leadership Training Institute programming and applied to participate. During the spring of 2018, Holmes completed her studies with FRCC, served on the college’s Student Government Association and the State Student Advisory Council, and attended FLTI.
“What was so cool about FLTI is that, with my studies being in political science, everything I was learning in school and doing with [State Student Advisory Council] was reinforced in FLTI. Plus, I got plugged into this amazing community of friends with all these great connections. I gained so much and finally started to believe in myself,” Holmes said.
Through FLTI, Holmes was connected to Rep. Jonathan Singer (D-Longmont) and worked with him on developing and passing HB18-1319, which established the Former Foster Care Youth Steering Committee. The committee is responsible for developing long-term service coordination for foster care youth who are transitioning into adulthood.
“I looked at my experiences and thought no child should have to suffer so far into their adulthood because of their past like I did. And I was able to help create something that will hopefully change the trajectory for hundreds, thousands of kids over the years.”
After graduating FLTI, Holmes remained connected with the OUR Center, then as a student intern and member of their advisory board, though she had transferred to MSU at that time. She wasn’t planning on participating in student government there due to the length of her commute. Come April 2018, however, when she learned there were no candidates running for president of MSU’s student government, she put her name forth. This prompted another candidate to step up, but Danielle claimed the victory.
After graduation, Danielle looks forward to taking the next steps toward further achieving her dreams of working for social justice issues, particularly food and housing insecurity, as she applies to various law schools.
“So here I am, using all the knowledge and skills from FLTI, my education, and support of successful programs that work, to pay it forward for those who haven’t yet found their voices. I’m so grateful for it all,” she said.