Studio Art major
Rick Watkins Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund, Barbara Duval Endowed Scholarship Fund in Studio Art, Marion and Wayland H. Cato, Jr. Endowed Scholarship for SOTA
Pursuing a master’s degree in communication at the College of Charleston to deepen her understanding of how visual media, storytelling and engagement shape how arts organizations connect with their audiences.
Danielle Drummond has built a body of work and record of achievement during her time at the College of Charleston.
Her outstanding artwork and academic performance paired with community impact earned her multiple scholarships: the Rick Watkins Endowed Memorial Scholarship, the Marion & Wayland H. Cato, Jr. Endowed Scholarship for SOTA and the Barbara Duval Endowed Scholarship Fund in Studio Art.
Beyond her artistic exploration, Drummond has cultivated meaningful leadership experiences. She served as president of the NAACP Youth Chapter (2024–25) and of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (2025–26), coordinating programming across the Divine Nine organizations. As parliamentarian of the Iota Omicron Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., she has strengthened her commitment to service and advocacy.
Her academic and professional experiences reflect a strong interest in how arts institutions operate and connect with their audiences.
During her time at the College, she worked in the dean’s office at the School of the Arts, supporting marketing, events and donor engagement. She was also the inaugural Vibrant Leader Intern at the Gibbes Museum of Art, where she gained cross-departmental experience in research, programming and institutional strategy.
She has had a lasting academic impact on the School of the Arts by creating four-year course plans for every department, helping students better navigate their path to graduation. At EXPO 2026, she became the first Black student in studio art and within the School of the Arts to deliver an oral presentation.
For her senior thesis, her visual artwork explored expanding narratives of Black life.
“My work centers on the idea that African American culture is often interpreted through its most visible moments, particularly narratives of struggle and trauma, while quieter, more intimate experiences of joy, connection and everyday life are often overlooked,” she explains. “I am interested in expanding the visual and cultural narrative to include the fullness of Black experience.”
Through oil paintings that depict intimate, everyday moments, she explores joy as both subject and method.
“Joy is not a denial of struggle,” she says, “but a response to it.”