Honorary award-winning student Danielle Phillips is now ready to move on to UCLA and continue her quest to become a teacher.

She said she’s very excited about leaving City College, because it is one step closer to her two goals; one of them is to become an English professor.

It’s the interaction with people she’s always loved, she said.

“It’s such a dynamic atmosphere and you get a close connection to the students that will soon continue out in their lives. You really make a difference,” Phillips said.

This also means that she may never have to leave the school environment.

“Stay in school my entire life? That sounds really good,” she said. “That’s a good plan.”

Phillips, a native of Mount Vernon, N.Y., loves studying and being around school. Grades are very important to her, and they always have been.

“My mom always told me that she would let me do whatever I wanted as long as I did my homework well,” Phillips said. “I swam a lot. A lot. So I only had a few hours to do my homework and then I had to focus on only that to be able to get it all done in time. I have always studied and I’m proud of it.”

Her hard work has paid off. She was accepted to the two schools in California with the lowest acceptance rates, Berkeley and UCLA. She chose to attend UCLA on a regional scholarship.

Besides teaching she strives for another goal: writing a book.

“That has been a goal since I was young and went to the libraries,” Phillips said. “I’m always thinking about a possible title for my book. All the time I’m carrying around a notebook if I come up with something good.”

But with her busy life it’s hard to find time for writing.

Phillips is president of the Black Student Union.

She has been a Teacher’s Assistant in Film Studies and been involved in the Campus Democrats and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She writes essays and papers and was awarded the Alex Award at the Honors Conference a few weeks ago.

After the summer, she’s going to UCLA with her friend Samantha Silverman.

They met in a joint class and have since worked together with diversity issues in both Phi Theta Kappa and Black Student Union.

Both got in on the same scholarship and will both major in English and plan to live off campus.

Together they are now continuing the path to one day inspire people with their teaching and writing.