Danny Collins grew up in a small town in Bishops Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador with humble beginnings. Danny worked hard to get to his current position as a Deputy Sheriff within the department of Justice and Public Safety. In this role he has had the opportunity of working at all levels of court throughout the province.

Prior to his career as a Deputy Sheriff, he completed the criminology program at Memorial University of Newfoundland, gaining an interest in law and how it interacted with society as a hole. Throughout his time at Memorial University is where Danny’s dream of attending law school came about.

After completing criminology, Danny landed a job as a Fisheries Guardian and Wildlife Officer. In this role he had the opportunity of working to conserve and protect the land and its resources. This was a proud moment being in this position as he has a strong connection to the land and his Mi’kmaq ancestry. Danny is a proud member of the Qalipu First Nation Band and has a passion for learning more about his culture, language and connections to the land.

While working in his current role as a Deputy Sheriff, Danny has the opportunity of interacting daily with the participants and operations of the courts, including individuals who find themselves in custody and often at their worst moments. Often, he finds himself thinking back about the dream he had in university of one day attending law school. With some encouragement from local lawyers Danny decided to apply and was accepted for the Indigenous Black and Mi’kmaq Initiatives through Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law. He attended this summer in Halifax and successfully completed the four-week pre-law program. This secured his seat for the law class of 2029.

In summary, Danny feels very honored to be able to take this next step towards bringing his dream to fruition. Upon completing the Juris Doctor program, he has an interest in giving back to the community through legal aid as well as specializing in marine and environmental law.  Being able to protect the land and to further help people who may find themselves in contact with the justice system is something he is very passionate about. He is very thankful for the help and support he received from the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. The scholarship will be extremely helpful in his new transition and moving to Nova Scotia to attend the Schulich School of Law.