Hi! It's nice to e-meet you.

My name is Danielle Santos, M.A./M.P.P. - an organizational learning strategist and ed equity advocate who's passionate about helping students and their communities reach beyond perceived limitations to find their best-fit educational pathways.

With over 14 years of diverse experience across non-profit, ed tech, and post-secondary education sectors, I've learned that authentic transformation happens when we find pathways that actually fit rather than forcing people to adapt to broken systems. Before founding RAFA Educational Consulting in 2024, I:

• Worked with over 17 public research universities to better support undergraduate student success
• Recruited diverse students to an R1 institution through community-based partnerships
• Trained college counselors nationwide on scholarship and application best practices
• Served as a college application coach for students applying to highly selective institutions

What drives my work is helping students and organizations activate their authentic ambitions by pursuing their goals while maintaining their cultural identity and values.  

I'm currently a doctoral student studying Social and Theoretical Foundations of Education at the University of Toledo. Despite being a Columbus, OH native, I'm a  two-time Wolverine who received both my MA in Higher Education Administration with a concentration in Student Access and Success and MPP with a concentration in Higher Education Policy from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. I am also a proud alumna of Smith College where I received my BA in Cultural Anthropology and was named an Urban Education Initiative Fellow in Springfield, MA.