We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Danielle Mikaelian a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Danielle, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

My identity as an Armenian-American is extremely important to me. Knowing that I am descended from Armenian Genocide survivors who lost everything has made me even more grateful to receive different opportunities.

I want to be remembered as someone who empowered the next generation through education. I routinely mentor younger students and have been grateful to receive multiple scholarships from Armenian organizations. In my free time, I speak to undergraduate organizations across the country to help provide advice to students interested in obtaining admission to law school. As a high school student, I helped launch and run a nonprofit SAT preparation program for individuals from underserved backgrounds. As a college student, I founded a nonprofit initiative that helped provide students with free feedback on their resumes, cover letters, and college application materials. Today, I am a college consultant with seven years of admissions consulting experience.

I want to give back to my community, helping promote the success of my ethnic group. I also want to be seen as someone who successfully advocated for others and helped them rise to new heights.

I also want to continue to impact the world through my literary endeavors. I majored in English at Columbia University, and my love of reading has never faded. I have worked as an editor for years and enrolled in multiple poetry and fiction classes at Columbia University. I continue to write poetry and articles for different publications.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m currently in my second year of studies at Harvard Law School. I have a strong background in editorial work, law, and education.

As a high school student, I began working for SAGE Publications – a leading academic publishing company. I also was president of my high school literary magazine. My love for reading, writing, and editing led me to eventually major in English at Columbia University. While at Columbia, I enrolled in multiple creative writing workshops and acted as an editor for five different Columbia University journals.

Wanting to ensure my words were more impactful, I made the decision to apply to law school. At Columbia, I was a leader within the undergraduate prelaw community. I served on the executive boards of Columbia Women in Law and Politics and the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review. As a law student at Harvard, I have continued to hone my editorial skills through acting as a Managing Editor for the Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law, a Submissions Editor for the Human Rights Journal, and an Editor for the Harvard Business Law Review.

Beyond this, I have extensive experience in the education realm. I have specifically worked in college admissions consulting for seven years. I started by locating clients online using platforms like Reddit. I then began working for a variety of companies as a college admissions consultant, reading tutor, and writing coach. I also work as a paid editor for a college admissions company, editing student essays while pursuing my studies. Nothing is more fulfilling than helping a student receive admission to their dream school. I feel privileged to have helped so many students navigate their educational journeys. In my free time, I speak to universities across the country to help students receive essential advice on how to apply to undergraduate and graduate schools. I also have a column called “Student Advice Corner” with a publication called The Armenian Report.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

It’s essential to give everyone on the team a voice in decision making. This helps individuals feel personally invested in what any organization is doing. Beyond this, camaraderie is key. While leading teams, I do my best to create a comfortable and collaborative environment. Outside of assigned work, I ensure that team members have ample opportunities to come together and get to know each other. I routinely organize team dinners and will offer to help take on someone’s responsibilities if they have a conflict or feel too overwhelmed.

Small gestures matter. As a Columbia undergraduate, I would routinely take the time to show appreciation to my classmates and friends. During the holidays, I would go to local stores and buy mini stockings, putting a few items in them and leaving them on people’s doors. Extending gratitude and showing appreciation is important. The majority of the teams I oversee involve individuals who have personally volunteered their time to promote the wellbeing of a cause or contribute to the success of student life. Being granted opportunities to lead is a privilege that I don’t take lightly. It’s essential to lead ethically and responsibly. It’s also important to show others that they matter and that their contributions are valued.

The ability to listen to diverse perspectives and adapt to changing situations is pivotal as well. Even if you disagree, it is important to voice such opinions in a respectful manner while maintaining dialogue. This will help team members find common ground while preventing people from feeling alienated. This also helps maintain high morale.

I’ve also been privileged to take multiple courses regarding leadership during my studies at Harvard Law. Some examples of my courses are “Leading from the Middle” and “Adaptive Leadership.” Taking these courses has helped me learn about different styles of leadership and learn how to adapt to a variety of situations that could occur in a work environment.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I am very determined to positively impact my surroundings. When extended opportunities, I readily dive in and do my best to make a difference. Over time, this has helped me build my reputation as a leader on university campuses and as a student who has relentlessly worked to promote the success of the Armenian community.

As a student at Columbia University, I readily accepted roles in different organizations that would allow me to improve the experiences of my peers. In this regard, I served on the board of my residence hall and eventually transitioned to a board position on RHLO, the Residence Hall Leadership Organization. This oversees residential programming for all of the residence halls at Columbia University. Beyond this, I spearheaded new events for the university in various capacities. I served on the Columbia College Student Council and also was Wellness Chair for the Office of University Life. In these roles, I created new Columbia traditions and worked tirelessly to promote the success of student life on campus. At Harvard, I have continued to be very involved on campus, receiving the “Most Involved” award from my first year section. I have served as a Managing Editor for Print for Harvard’s Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law, as well as Executive Vice President of Operations for the Harvard Association for Law and Business. I have also actively participated in pro bono work. I have acted as a Student Attorney for the Cyberlaw Clinic, Harvard Entrepreneurship Project, and Harvard Recording Artists Project.

I also have been actively involved in causes that promote the success of the Armenian community. During my gap year, I worked as a Government Affairs Intern for the Armenian National Committee of America. At Columbia University, I served as Armenian Society President. I am currently the Co-President of the Armenian Law Students Association at Harvard Law School. I also run a column for an Armenian news outlet called “Student Advice Corner” to help Armenian students navigate their educational journeys. This has helped me become known as an individual who does my best to promote the success of the Armenian community.

Contact Info:

• Other: https://www.thearmenianreport.com/post/danielle-mikaelian-s-student-advice-corner-advice-on-selecting-an-undergraduate-institution https://www.cc-seas.columbia.edu/MulticulturalGrads/442980 https://hls.harvard.edu/clinic-stories/clinical-student-voices/representing-creators-through-the-recording-artists-project/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhJ5LNBTMBA https://hls.harvard.edu/clinic-stories/building-a-foundation-of-trust-in-hlep/ https://www.millenniumfellows.org/fellow/2020/columbia/danielle-mikaelian https://hlrecord.org/mentoring-others-and-giving-back-as-a-harvard-law-student/ https://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/latest/take-five/danielle-mikaelian-21-was-incredibly-grateful-college-journey