What do New York Fashion Week, Ireland, and IU Northwest have in common?

Danielle Roeske.

Roeske, a graduating business administration senior, has spoken at international conferences, styled hair for New York Fashion Week, and opened up her own local hair salon. Plus, she owns and maintains four rental housing units.

While she started out thinking she would get a degree in accounting and finance, she soon decided that field wasn’t the best match for her personality. “I realized pretty quickly that the business [administration] route was a little better for me. It’s helped me with my business and my marketing internships,” she said.

Although Roeske will soon have a business degree to show for her efforts, she doesn’t see herself spending the workday in an office. Instead, she said she plans to push forward as an entrepreneur.

“I want to get my real estate broker’s license, and then open up a property management company,” she said. “Long term, I think it’d be awesome to open a [wedding] venue.”

Roeske lives and breathes her business, to the point where she considers her work and investments her hobby. She spends much of her free time expanding her real estate knowledge and learning new ways to reach her lofty goals.

“Have a plan and stick to it,” Roeske said. “Even though it’s hard, put 110 percent of your energy into it.”

Roeske’s 110 percent work ethic certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed. She was featured as an Influential Businesswoman of the Year and earned herself a shout-out in the Times of Northwest Indiana as an influential woman in the area.

But Roeske attributes some of her success to another influential woman, HelenMarie Harmon. Harmon is the Director of Student Success & Career Development for the School of Business and Economics, and in that role, she’s given Roeske some much-appreciated mentorship.

“She’s helped me really push through and given me so many opportunities,” Roeske said. “I’m definitely going to miss that when I leave school.”

Fortunately for Roeske, she’ll continue to have the support of her family once her time at IU Northwest is over. Her mother, father, and brother have all come onboard to support her business ventures. Roeske said her family has been instrumental in helping her with the details she can’t do on her own or doesn’t have enough time for.

Even though she hasn’t officially earned her degree, Roeske has already allowed her IU Northwest education to take her to new heights. “I want to continue to grow my entrepreneurial ventures. I’ll use the education and foundation I learned from IU Northwest to do so,” she said.

Thanks to professors who were encouraging and respectful of her busy schedule, Roeske is leaving IU Northwest with overwhelming success and a plethora of goals.

“Have your big goal, then make those everyday steps to get there,” she said. “But most important, surround yourself with people with positive energy.”

Clearly, Roeske has the education, drive, and real-world experience to go any direction she wants—to New York, Ireland, and beyond.