When the former Speech and Debate Club president first came to El Camino College, she didn’t have many friends.

Danielle Kabboul was a shy freshman, keeping mostly to herself, but soon she met some people who dragged her into the Speech and Debate Club.

“I was really lacking that community I really hoped I’d get in college,” Kabboul said. “I was going to class and didn’t really have any friends. I was just really miserable until I started joining all these different programs.”

After finding community in the club, Kabboul knew she wanted to give others that same feeling of connection and acceptance. She was going to run for Associated Students Organization president.

“Increasing my involvement with ASO and the community kinda was my way of giving back to everybody,” Kabboul said. “Through my time at El Camino, a lot of people have accepted me into their communities and I want to make that a more common thing that students are lucky enough to find.”

Kabboul, 19, won the ASO elections in April and will take office as ASO president in the second week of June.

“Danielle is the most caring and passionate person I have ever met,” Andres Osorio, ASO director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, said.

Kabboul is easy to work with due to her being focused, hardworking and open to listening to her peers, Osorio said.

“She listens to everyone no matter if she knows them or not. Not only does she listen but she genuinely cares about them and will never stop fighting for them,” Osorio said.

Kabboul has also participated in high school activities including debate club, Model United Nations and mock trials.

Model United Nations allows high school students to roleplay as delegates and debate topics including climate action and gender equality.

“I was very hesitant and didn’t think I was good enough to be a part of something so renowned, but I decided to give it a shot and ended up finding one of the most supportive communities I could’ve ever asked for,” she said.

Kabboul has received many awards throughout high school and college for different events within speech and debate, regarding topics including domestic and international policies involving the economy, military and social issues.

“She would just win awards nonstop in high school for almost everything,” Olivia Maehara, best friend of Kabboul for 13 years, said. “I am so proud of her, she deserves it all.”

Kabboul is a great leader but also a very gentle and selfless friend who will drop everything to make sure her friends are OK, Maehara said.

“Not every student is as lucky as I’ve been to basically stumble into a group of friends offering so much encouragement,” Kabboul said. “I want every student to have that sort of life-changing experience here at ECC, whether it be through a club, student-success program, affinity center, or just the community at large.”

According to Francesca Bishop, professor of Communication Studies and director of Forensics (speech and debate), Kabboul said she’d rather had gotten a speaker award because that would mean she is learning and growing.

“Every kid wants a trophy but she wanted to know that her speaking abilities were improving. I still think about that and hold that with me,” Bishop said.

Kabboul is always in charge and highly organized, Bishop said.

In her free time, Kabboul likes to relax and spend quality time with her friends. She’s also recently gained an interest in gardening.

Kabboul credits her friends in ASO for her current success.

“I truly owe so much of my current involvement and academic success to those people because I would’ve never otherwise discovered my passion for student advocacy, let alone had a genuine support system to rely on,” she said.