Jennifer Daniel ’07TCB

Community service has always been a part of Jennifer Daniel ’07TCB’s life from an early age.

When she was five years old, she would accompany her mother every month as she delivered fresh food to senior citizens in their Brooklyn, NY, neighborhood.

As a teenager, Ms. Daniel attended Benjamin Banneker Academy High School for Community Development, where she continued helping others through academic service-learning opportunities. An active member of the school’s chapter of the nonprofit organization Community Development Corporation, she conducted research projects on issues affecting low-income communities. She also tested homes for lead paint to assess if there was a correlation between lead paint levels and neighborhoods within Brooklyn.

After graduating from high school in 2003, Ms. Daniel attended St. John’s University and majored in Risk Management and Insurance in The Peter J. Tobin College of Business. As a student, she participated in extracurricular activities including the Voices of Victory gospel choir and the Student Ambassador program. She also served as a resident assistant.

Ms. Daniel’s passion for travel began at St. John’s. Her first international trip was a winter abroad during her junior year at Kokushikan University in Tokyo, Japan, through the St. John’s inaugural Outbound Exchange program. 

During her senior year at St. John’s University, she interned at Frenkel & Company International (now EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants) and was offered a position upon graduation. Although she was excited for this full-time opportunity, Ms. Daniel still wanted to pursue her passion for community development.

The day after she graduated, Ms. Daniel participated in Campus Ministry’s Plunge service trip to Santa Clarita, Panama. During those two weeks, she painted a school, helped build an outhouse for an elderly couple, and participated in learning activities, amongst other service projects.

“It was a difficult decision to work as an insurance broker after this fulfilling experience, but I accepted the offer with Frenkel & Company,” she said. While working full time, she continued to volunteer at her church and former high school.

In 2009, she learned that there were several girls at her high school who were not attending their prom because they could not afford a dress. To address the need, she organized a prom dress drive—which resulted in a collection of 250 dresses. Ms. Daniel hosted a celebratory event to make the girls feel like princesses while selecting their free dress.

Since then, this initiative has evolved into an organization called Princess Chambers, Inc. and has provided more than 800 girls with free prom attire. In addition to the prom initiative, this organization has evolved its mission to include providing scholarships and mentoring to girls entering their first year of college.