Staff Profile: Danielle Trujillo
Program Assistant I

Meet Rocky Mountain Education Center employee Danielle Trujillo. Telling her story provides the opportunity to observe a life time history in Denver, Colorado and a fifteen year history with Red Rocks Community College.

Danielle has always lived in the Denver area, and all her education was experienced here, as well. She grew up in a small family: her parents and one sister. St. Catherine's Catholic School and Thornton Elementary School provided her early learning, and Thornton High School offered learning for her teenage years. Danielle's life took a turn because of having a child early in life. She recalls, "I wanted to finish school, but I chose the long route in achieving my educational goals."

Danielle's goal was to attend college and to earn a certificate and then a degree; Red Rocks played a part in that plan. Her starting point, though, was Community College of Denver where she turned her love of education and desire to succeed into an Information Technology Certificate.

Launching from her success and continuing to work toward a degree, Danielle enrolled in a degree program at RRCC where all her CCD credits were accepted and counted toward a business degree. In 1992, besides attending classes, she became a student hourly as an administrative assistant to Shelli Bischoff, former Director of Red Rocks Institute, a training institute specializing in non-credit business soft skills. Danielle credits Shelli with “making a difference with school and job skills due to the initial opportunity and encouragement she offered with college classes and the job.” The planning and working toward a career came to fruition because the certificate and degree programs, along with Danielle’s student hourly assignment, all matched her goal: a career in business.

She earned her Associate of Applied Science Degree in Business Technology in 1996 and continued to work in Red Rocks Institute (RRI). Another recognition for Danielle was having her work category be upgraded to Administrative Assistant III.

In 1998, changes at RRCC brought about changes in Danielle’s new career. Two college programs merged: Red Rocks Institute (RRI) and OSHA Training Institute (OTI) with Rich Hawkins, Executive Director of OTI, becoming the director of both programs. How did that affect Danielle’s career? She remembers, “Rich inherited me with Red Rocks Institute.”

Since she became “inherited” by Rich and a part of what became Rocky Mountain Education Center (RMEC), Danielle has continued to move forward in her career. The fruits of the journey are her training and skills in marketing, graphics, and lay-out that have resulted in the yearly RMEC catalog and all brochures. She is also responsible for accounts payable and independent contractor contracts, and that explains why instructors are so fond of her: “I initiate their paycheck.” A recent promotion changed Danielle’s career title to Program Assistant I.

With all the dedication to her career, Danielle continues to devote her time and focus to her priority: her family. She is very proud of her two sons, Eric, 21 and Matthew, 9. Eric is a senior at University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado and will graduate ahead of schedule in December 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with dual emphases in marketing and management. Eric is a member of AKPsi, a social business fraternity. Matthew is in the 4th grade at St. Bernadette’s Catholic School in Lakewood, Colorado. He keeps busy with his studies along with basketball, baseball, and Boy Scouts. The family enjoys time together and just returned from their first family vacation to California visiting all the tourist attractions; their favorites were Disneyland, Universal Studios and Sea World.

Danielle also makes time for her personal interests like scrap booking (creating albums with favorite photos and captions) and walking. Included in her personal time are hours filled with Matthew’s games and school activities, as well as weekend visits with Eric. She also loves time spent with her three (“extremely spoiled”) small dogs, two Chihuahuas and a Yorkie Terrier.

Danielle’s history with RRCC continues as she credits her colleagues at RMEC with “great friendships and continuous support for personal and professional development,” and they consider her as the “middle of the road personality, the one whom the staff counts on to be at peace with everyone.” Learning on the job continues as Danielle ponders what class to take in the Spring 2008 Semester. In phone conversations and
in-person conferences with Danielle, everyone is treated to her full attention, her warm welcome, her dedication to excellence, and her genuine consideration and concern for others. Please take the opportunity to meet Danielle Trujillo at RMEC.