Many shy away from the spotlight, but Daenne Dolce has embraced each opportunity to speak, connect, and inspire since she was 5 years old. A new face to UNLV, Dolce is already making a lasting impact as the director of communications and marketing in the Graduate College.
Dolce, who is Haitian American — and proudly refers to herself as Haitian — moved from Haiti to Miami 12 years ago. She fell in love with communications during her time at Florida International University (FIU), where she earned two degrees and began her career in higher education.
At FIU, she served as the president of the Tau Sigma National Honor Society’s Phi Chapter, an organization dedicated to supporting transfer students. With a natural gift for storytelling, Dolce has spent years inspiring students through her work.
From creating marketing strategies to running events and managing social media, each day at UNLV looks a little different, but Dolce’s mission is clear: to highlight the work of the Graduate College and to support over 4,000 graduate students in their academic journeys.
What drew you to UNLV?
One of the things that drew me to UNLV is that we are an established, R1 institution. I feel like this campus is so alive. (I love big institutions like FIU, and this is the closest place to FIU!)
When I got to meet my team during my interview, I knew I wanted to work with this team, and I wanted to be here — although, I miss my former team dearly. It's been such a welcoming space since I got here.
What was your biggest misconception about UNLV or Las Vegas before you got here?
People think Las Vegas is only the Strip — I want to debunk that. Las Vegas is an amazing, diverse city. One of my favorite places here is Red Rock Canyon. Your breath will be taken away. It's just so beautiful, and it's a short drive from the “Strip.”
What inspired you to get into marketing and communications?
I like to say, “I did not choose this field, it chose me.” I've always genuinely loved talking. It’s only a part of communication, but it's a big part — my favorite.
At my kindergarten graduation, I was the one who read the speech. For my sixth-grade graduation, the scheduled person couldn’t read it at the last-minute, so I read it on the day of. As an undergraduate, I was involved in so many different leadership opportunities, and I just spoke everywhere all the time! I found I was really good at anything communications — speaking, social media, writing.
I was doing it as a hobby, but a mentor told me: “You’re really good at this. Why don’t you just do it full time?” I told myself I should make this a career, and I took a leap of faith.
What do you think the biggest misconception about marketing and communications is?
People think it's one-size-fits-all, but it’s not.
Not everyone does the same thing. For instance, I'm not a “behind the scenes” person. I’ll do it, but it’s not my favorite. I love to be able to speak and empower people. I love social media. I like writing articles and speeches — there's nothing better than writing a speech and someone delivering it well. I love that.
I think the misconception is that all people in marketing and communications do the same thing. There are many directors of communications on campus, but we all have different aspects that we like to do.
What was the last big project you've completed here?
The last big project was actually a dual achievement. The Graduate College has a program called the Grad Rebel Advantage to help undergraduate students prepare for graduate school. Of course we want them to stay here at UNLV, but if they have a great opportunity somewhere else, we support them whatever that path is.
The college started rolling out their marketing plan for Grad Rebel Advantage before I even started here, but registration had been low. I was asked to help, and after I rolled out my plan, we had over 150 applicants for a 100-student program. They were able to extend it to give 150 students the opportunity to participate!
I just so happened to be the keynote speaker for the event, so I got a chance to speak to the students and empower them. All the students were from different programs. I'm really glad I was able to not just market the Graduate College, but be able to make a change that touched the entire institution.
If you weren't working in your current role, what do you think you would be doing?
If I wasn't working in marketing and communications, I would be doing full-time ministry. I am a Christian. I love God. Ultimately, it would still have a tie-in with communications, but teaching the Bible, writing faith-based articles, and just really helping the church grow and spreading the gospel. To me, there is nothing more fulfilling than teaching the Bible and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’d also do Daenne’s Journal, my personal ministry, full time.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell her to follow her heart, and that it's OK to be different. I've always loved so many things; I can't remember the last time I was only doing one thing.
I would also tell her that the perception of others should not be the perception of you. What others think of you doesn’t mean you have to do that or be that. You can make your own path, and you'll be successful either way.
If you won the megabucks and you want to give back to the university, what would you support and why?
I would support any initiative for first-generation students. I'm first-gen, and I received a scholarship from FIU that made such a difference in my life. I think first-gen students have so many different battles, and every first-gen story is so different.
I was also a transfer student, so I would support anything related to first-generation or transfer students.
And, of course, I would support Graduate School to make sure we are as successful as possible.
What’s your favorite question?
My favorite question is "How do you say your name?" I absolutely love my name. I need to remember to thank my parents for giving me such a beautiful and unique name. When someone asks me this question, it shows respect. It always warms my heart. “The answer is Daenne!”
What's your guilty pleasure?
Cheese fries and popcorn extra buttered. I also have a new obsession since I started this role: taro slush with boba.
What's a favorite holiday food or unique tradition for your family?
A unique tradition my family used to do was to go to church every Christmas Eve and every New Year's Eve together. Then on Jan. 1, which is Haiti's Independence Day, we drink soup joumou all day.
Soup joumou is a very well-known Haitian dish that we eat the whole day to celebrate Haiti's independence. It’s my favorite thing about the holidays, and I didn't realize it was my favorite thing until I moved from Miami to Las Vegas!
