By Ashley Sidebottom, staff writer
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – It started with a trip to visit a friend and try out for the soccer team, but after four years, Danielle Louise Hiance of Alexandria, Ky., found her calling at Campbellsville University.
Hiance, the daughter of Dan and Rosemary Hiance of Alexandria and a 2003 graduate of Campbell County High School, knew CU through a high school friend who was playing soccer for the Tigers, and decided to make a visit and try out for the soccer team herself.
She was offered a position on the soccer team, and was also offered a full scholarship based on her ACT scores and high school GPA.
“I know, now, that God was definitely working in my life to get me to CU.”
When Hiance left her home in Alexandria, Ky., to attend college at CU, she, like most incoming college students, was unsure of the path for her future.
“I had always done really well in math, so I decided to continue to take math courses,” Hiance said. “While working in math, I also felt like I wanted to do something that would help people.”
After taking an introduction to social work class, Hiance decided she wanted to “stick with it.”
“Although math and social work did not fit together, I decided to continue with math just in case I needed to fall back on it one day,” she said.
During her junior year at CU, Hiance had the opportunity to attend the Summer Undergraduate Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (SUMSRI) at Miami University in Ohio, which helped in her career-making decision.
“After spending seven weeks doing mathematical research on elliptical curves, I felt God was leading me away from math,” Hiance said.
She decided on a double major in mathematics and social work, and during her last semester at CU, she was accepted into the dual master’s/Ph.D. program at Ohio State University’s College of Social Work that allows students to acquire their MSW and Ph.D. degrees concurrently.
“This is quite an accomplishment, and a first for a graduate of our Carver School of Social Work,” said Dr. Michael V. Carter, president. “I congratulate Danielle and wish her the best in her academic career.”
Hiance began classes in the advanced standing program in June 2007, and she will be able to finish both a master of social work and a Ph.D. in social work in approximately three years.
Hiance graduated summa cum laude during the May 5 Centennial Commencement ceremony at Campbellsville University and received her bachelor of science in social work and mathematics. She was also the recipient of the Mathematics Award during CU’s annual Honors and Awards Day.
Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,310 students who represent 100 Kentucky counties, 32 states and 28 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report’s 2008 “America’s Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 22nd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South and eighth in the South for “Great Schools, Great Prices.” CU has been ranked 15 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his ninth year as president.