Danya Gorel was born and raised in Sugar Land, Texas, on the outskirts of Houston. She attended the University of Texas at Austin and attained a dual degree in rhetoric and writing and theatre and dance with a focus in design and direction, along with a minor in environmental studies. After teaching English abroad in Israel and Costa Rica, Danya returned to the U.S. to complete a master’s degree in sustainable communities from Northern Arizona University.
Danya is proud to call Flagstaff, Arizona home. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 10 years, most recently helping residents of northern Arizona achieve food sovereignty as the outreach program coordinator for Terra BIRDS, a local organization dedicated to youth empowerment through gardening. Danya joined the Grand Canyon Trust in 2023 and is excited to leverage her experience as an educator to grow the Rising Leaders Program and help build the next generation of conservation leaders on the Colorado Plateau.
People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle.
― Thich Nhat Hanh
We're preparing young Indigenous leaders to invest in their communities through internships, leadership training programs, river trips, and more.
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Rising leaders draft an action plan for a healthy and just future on the Colorado Plateau.
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Native young people are following the sacred traditions and teachings of their grandparents.
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