Danielle Black is an F-1 International Student Advisor working here at UFIC, and her story is one of determination, personal growth, and deep empathy. Danielle was born in Brazil and moved to the United States at 27 to attend the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. Before making the big move to the U.S., she was already established in her career as a practicing real estate attorney at an American firm in São Paulo. Reflecting on her decision to come to the U.S., she says, “I wanted to do a master’s to enhance my knowledge of practicing law in the States.” Danielle’s desire to expand her legal expertise shows her dedication to constantly growing and seeking new challenges.
At UF, Danielle pursued her master’s in law degree “UF is very famous for this master’s program—it’s one of the top-ranked in the country.” While at UF, she worked as a research assistant, contributing to academic publications. However, her time at UF was not as typical as she had envisioned, “It was during COVID—so I only had one semester in person and the rest was online.” Despite this challenge, Danielle made the most of her time at UF, continuing her studies and academic work remotely, adapting to the circumstances, and making it a success.
Danielle’s life turned unexpectedly—meeting a gentleman at the farmer’s market in Bo Diddley Plaza, “He was selling vegan burgers, and I bought one from him, even though I was not a vegan!” That seemingly small interaction turned into a significant moment in her life. “I had no intention to immigrate,” says Danielle, “but then I met my husband.”
At the time, Danielle worked as a paralegal in town, doing pre-litigation work for personal injury cases. When filing her paperwork for her green card, Danielle started gaining knowledge and experience in immigration law. “When I came to UF, I had to file my paperwork for my green card,” she recalls, “and then, because I did it for myself, I got to help other people—and that’s how I found out, oh, I like immigration.” Danielle began working at the UF International Center in 2022 and now gets to put those skills she was learning to the test every day for more than 1000 of our international students.
As an immigration specialist, Danielle finds a lot of parallels between her own story, and the students’ stories who she assists. She understands their struggles, frustrations, and fears, which makes her work particularly impactful, “I know how much it means to the students—so I try to be as quick as I can reviewing cases and processing them.” She works diligently because she knows that in the immigration process, simple mistakes can have a big cost, “It’s way better to be prepared—don’t fear asking questions. Don’t fear logging into every single Virtual Office Hours!” She knows from personal experience just how vital it is to stay organized and proactive when dealing with immigration-related tasks.
Danielle also offers advice to international students on how to make the most of their time in the U.S., “It’s easy to stay in your bubble—only make friends with people from your country, but when you’re here you have such an opportunity to make connections with people!” Danielle encourages her students to read the local newspapers and engage locals in conversation, “Try to network as much as you can!” This advice not only helps students professionally, but it also enriches their personal experiences while studying abroad.
When Danielle is not at work, she’s kept very busy being the mother of two toddlers “One is almost two years old, another one just turned three.” She says motherhood is the only hobby she has now, but she loves getting out and going to parks in Gainesville. The complexities of motherhood have helped her at the office too, “I’m the thermostat in my house because if I freak out, my kids freak out,” says Danielle. “You have deadlines, it’s easy to panic!” but she says she has learned patience and self-regulation to be able to tackle complicated, sometimes stressful situations at work, with temperance and empathy.
Her story is a reminder to international students that while the journey of adjusting to life in a new country can be challenging, it is also full of opportunities to grow, build connections, and learn from every experience. As someone who has walked that path herself, Danielle Black continues to make a significant impact on the lives of international students at UFIC, helping them navigate the complex world of immigration with guidance, understanding, and care.
Story by: Terrence Funke
Photos by: Christina Cozart