After a decade in banking, Dani Walker decided it was time for a change—one that combined her financial background with her passion for education. On May 13, she joined Blackhawk Technical College as a Financial Aid Assistant in the Student Services Division.

“I have always been passionate about education and I wanted a job in the academic world,” Dani said. “Blackhawk has a wide variety of programs and very helpful staff. Everyone is friendly.”

The Belvidere, Illinois, native earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Northern Illinois University. She completed her master’s degree in philosophy at the same school in May of this year.

“When I originally started going to college, I wanted to study accounting, and I applied at a bank because I thought it would be good experience. I switched my major to philosophy right away, but I ended up staying in banking while I was going to school for philosophy,” she explained.

Dani and her husband, Tyler, have three cats named Jojo, Ama and Konan. They also have one dog named Tobi. She enjoys reading, watching movies and running.