Kaylah Belle Danjczek ’27 Soars in the Gym, the Office and the Classroom

Written by Chris Worthy

Business Administration major Kaylah Belle Danjczek ’27 (Nisbet Honors) is in perpetual motion, skillfully tumbling toward each of her goals with precision and joy.

From her small hometown in Virginia, Danjczek found Converse University because of its acrobatics and tumbling team. Of the more than two dozen schools that offered the NCAA Division II championship sport during her college search, she “looked at every single one.”

Danjczek is a student athlete who trains before and after classes, putting in hours to hone her skills. She said the relatively new sport is – at a basic level – a cross between gymnastics and cheer. It includes team and individual events in a fast-paced environment that requires strength and execution – and that all translates exceptionally well to Danjczek’s plans for her future.

Finding the Right Fit at Converse

Job placement after graduation was the first thing she considered after narrowing her list of choices. With a clear picture of what she wanted in her university experience, Converse moved to the top of her list.

“Converse was one of the few that had an honors program, and they also have the Glasgow Honors Program, a study abroad program at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.”

Kaylah Belle Danjczek ’27

“That was a really big decision factor, as well as the sophomore retention rate,” she said. “Those were two of the biggest numbers that I looked at, and then which campus felt like home and what other opportunities were afforded to me. Converse was one of the few that had an honors program, and they also have the Glasgow Honors Program, a study abroad program at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. That was another huge factor for me, and I am going to be taking advantage of it.”

Learning to Lead

Danjczek is studying Business Administration at Converse and has a passion for human resources. 

“My journey started when I was a teenager,” she said. “I’ve always been very interested in self-help books and have a passion for self-help. I love talking to other people about it. Everything I’ve learned translates to what I want to do with employee engagement – learning how to self-motivate and be a better leader.”

Internships with and through the Center for Career Development have helped her explore what life after college can look like.

That path has solidified through Danjczek’s Converse experience. Internships with and through the Center for Career Development have helped her explore what life after college can look like. Danjczek has stepped out of the classroom and into the workplace in a real application of her interests and education.

Connecting Students and Community

Tori Good, Dean of Career Development, said the Center for Career Development is there to help students have an “aha” moment that takes their career path from theory to practice. That starts during their first year, when the goal is to start with the end in mind.

The Center for Career Development offers a job platform, one-on-one coaching for students, and many other resources. 

“Sometimes students come in with this preconceived notion of becoming a doctor or a lawyer, a teacher,” she said. “We really seek to understand where a student is coming from, where they are in their development, and how we can best serve them and help them have those realizations. We want to see them reach their true potential. Sometimes that means meeting employers, community members and having that exposure, because a lot of times our students have not had that.” 

Good explained that as the job market changes, employers are looking for more skills and more experience. In response, the Center for Career Development offers a job platform, one-on-one coaching for students, and many other resources. 

Danjczek has taken advantage of every opportunity. She is currently working with OneSpartanburg, Inc., as the administration intern for the organization’s College Town initiative, which serves as a communications hub for Spartanburg’s seven local colleges and universities. 

Building Career Readiness

With multiple internships on her resume and another planned at a Fortune 500 company in New York this summer, Danjczek has refined her career path. She said she feels that she has been set up for success through her experiences, and she has moved from the idea of fixing problems to having a job in which she can “just run.”

“In my role at OneSpartanburg, I’m creating opportunities, which has just been so exciting in that the possibilities are endless,” she said.

“That’s the benefit of a small school…When an employer calls us and says, ‘I have this opportunity,’ we can say, ‘Oh, I know exactly which student you need to talk to.’”

Tori Good, Dean of Career Development

Supporting career readiness and inspiring students is Good’s exact goal across the four-year experience.

“Ultimately, we’re trying to meet students where they are and learn more about their goals,” she said. “That’s the benefit of a small school – we get to know our students. When an employer calls us and says, ‘I have this opportunity,’ we can say, ‘Oh, I know exactly which student you need to talk to.’ That community is what we strive for on campus, knowing who our students are and helping students articulate their skills and connect what they’re learning in the classroom and the impact that they can make in the employment world.”

Looking Ahead

Danjczek says she has been encouraged at every turn throughout her time at Converse, embracing each moment as it happens, mastering communication and scheduling skills to balance sports and classes, and always planning for what comes next.

“If we didn’t have the Center for Career Development that we have, I would not be nearly as career oriented as I am, because their ability to communicate the importance of it to students is phenomenal,” she said.