About Aaron

Hi there!

My name is Aaron Danowski and I’m a masters student at Lund University in Sweden studying culture, power and sustainability. I graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington studying sustainable business and sociology. In addition to keeping up on current events, playing intramural sports, and reading books on sustainability and social change, I love helping people discover how they can make a living and change the world using their talents and their passions! Sign up to “Follow” my journey and you’ll receive email alerts whenever I publish updates on this website!

I grew up in Portland, Oregon and attended the French American International School, where I learned French and Spanish and participated in two immersion trips to Paris and San Jose, Costa Rica. I started at Jesuit High School in the fall of 2009 and began to learn more about the Jesuit mission to create “men and women for others” committed to serving the marginalized and oppressed through service and social justice.

After graduating from Jesuit in 2013, I moved to Spokane, Washington to attend Gonzaga University and study business administration. Several weeks into my freshman year, I learned Gonzaga was hosting a 1.2 million dollar humanitarian award in 2014 called the Opus Prize. After a rigorous application process, I was selected as one of seven student representatives to travel and visit an Opus Prize finalist for that year. In my case, I got to travel to Chennai, India in May 2014 to meet Gollapalli Israel, director of the Janodayam Social Education Center. Mr. Israel and his team work to empower Dalits, also known as untouchables, by helping train women to become entrepreneurs, talented students to apply for college and unifying the Dalit community through political leadership that allows for issues facing their community to be heard at the state and national level.

Aaron and Mr. Gollapalli Israel at the Opus Prize Awards Ceremony

The trip was transformational for me, and I came away dedicated to using my education to empower others through economic development and social entrepreneurship. After returning from India, I began working with a Dalit student I had met named Manoj. We decided to work together to help him come earn his masters in Organizational Leadership at Gonzaga, and after 17 months of work, Manoj arrived in Spokane on October 24, 2015, becoming the first person from his community to attend college in the US. Our goal is to help him gain international exposure and have him return to India to empower Dalit youth like himself to change the world and fight to end caste discrimination in India.

Picking Manoj up from the airport to spend winter break in Portland (December 2015)

During the summer of 2015, I travelled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti to intern with the social enterprise Rebuild Globally, a sandal making company that uses abandoned tires and local leather to make their products. Getting to know Rebuild Globally’s artisans, meeting expats working with other social enterprises in Haiti, and learning about the endemic challenges the country faces, including political instability and lack of public services, all contributed to my growing understanding of how the world works.

From left to right: Annette, Betty, Andreman, Daphne, Kettly, Jesselie, Minouche, myself, and Jolina in Rebuild Globally’s workshop!

In the Fall of 2015, only three weeks after returning from Haiti, I travelled to the central African country of Cameroon to study abroad for four months with a program called SIT Cameroon: Social Pluralism and Development. The program travelled around the country and exposed us to the shortcomings of traditional development strategies, and we got to meet with local NGOs, political leaders, and experts advocating for locally-driven development that preserves cultural diversity and goes beyond traditional neoliberal economic thought. I was also able to immerse myself in Cameroonian society through homestays with four host families across the country.

Meeting with the Bagyeli in Kribi, Cameroon (October, 2015)

Since returning from Cameroon, I’ve become deeply interested in sustainable development strategies for the world, not just developing economies. In the summer of 2016 I interned with Daphne Wysham, an internationally recognized climate justice expert at the Center for Sustainable Economy (CSE) in Portland, Oregon and contributed to a report published by Greenpeace Canada titled “Beyond Fossil Fuels: Sustainable Development Opportunities in Eastern Nunavut.” 

I graduated from Gonzaga in the Spring of 2017 and immediately travelled to Lund, Sweden to begin a two-year Masters in Human Ecology at Lund University where I examine how political, economic, and social norms and power structures limit the world’s ability to mitigate climate change and achieve true, lasting sustainable development and prosperity. 

In November 2017 I travelled to Bonn, Germany to observe and take part in the 23rd annual UN Climate Negotiations. It was a tremendously motivating experience to join thousands of people from all around the world committed to working towards a more just, sustainable human presence on planet earth. I also got the chance to meet Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and speak to him about the importance of U.S. action to address climate change.

I am currently writing my masters thesis examining strategies for passing robust climate and environmental legislation in the U.S.

I have served as a guest speaker for social innovation events across the country, including at the University of Notre Dame, Boston College, Gonzaga University and Jesuit High School. My talks involve topics related to social entrepreneurship, social-impact businesses (B-Corps, hybrid structures), finding your purpose, and using your gifts and talents to change the world. If you would like to contact me about a speaking engagement, please reach out by visiting the Contact page.

Aarondanowski.com is my latest effort to inspire others to pursue purpose driven careers that solve the difficult social problems of the 21st century. I believe it is possible to make a living and change the world, and I’m excited to share my thoughts, travels and stories with you as I pursue my passion.