Andi McDanel
Name: Andi McDanel
Hometown: Bloomsburg, Penn.
Year: Senior
Major: Public Health
Thank goodness for strong sibling relationships because that is what landed Andi McDanel on our campus. Andi’s close bond with her older brother, who was a junior when she was a freshman, convinced her to follow him to Coastal Carolina. Knowing she wanted to make a difference in the lives of others, she decided to major in public health.
“I knew I wanted to help people but I didn’t know what specific aspect I wanted to do it in,” Andi admits. “I did know I wanted to be in the healthcare field.”
With a direction identified but no specific path established, Andi left it up to her classes and her professors to help inspire her toward a concrete career goal. It worked. In the near future, she wants to become a certified speech and language pathologist, hopefully working “in a fun place.”
Secure in the direction she is headed, Andi has had time to focus on extracurricular activities. One example is her involvement with her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi. Another is the opportunity she has seized to travel abroad. Andi visited South Africa, calling it a “life changing experience,” and she also went to Thailand.
But perhaps her involvement with the LIFE program is what she is most proud of. Andi glows when discussing her mentorship work with the students, all young adults who have mild to moderate intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.
“They end up helping you more than you help them, I promise,” Andi says about the LIFE program students.
We are thrilled that Andi has had such a fulfilling experience at CCU. Set to graduate in May, she can reminisce on her decision to attend Coastal, knowing she made the right move.
“I have met so many people and had so many opportunities I never would have had if I went anywhere else,” Andi reflects.